Rogue Factor
by VaranFall
Summary: After years of intense training and torture, Jack now finds himself taking a side in a galaxy wide war between the Galactic Republic and Separatist Alliance. In the struggle of survival, he'll discover secrets both to the galaxy's past as well as his own identity. And in the process learn that some skeletons would have been better off left in the closet.
1. Finding the Republic

War is never something that is cut and dry. To assume so either is to make it easier to pull the trigger and end a life, or that person is ignorantly bliss. It takes an unfortunate understanding to fully commit to a cause in war. Heart, soul and mind all must agree if there is to be any true dedication to a side. And sometimes, such dedication is not truly found until after the smoke clears.

By then, it is too late to go back. And the consequences will live with those who blindly follow causes or false heroes. Even if the belief is genuine, it does not mean that the opposing belief isn't. The road to hell is paved by good intentions, and in a war filled with bloodshed that spans the whole galaxy, there are no winners.

Only survivors.

* * *

_"We are a proud people. Remember to always take pride in your accomplishments, for they are a reflection of you and all mandalorians."_

_"I assure you, you're son will make a fine soldier. His skills will be sharpened to the peak of perfection."_

_"Pain is a reminder that you're still alive! If you feel pain, you still live! If you live, you will continue to train! Any weakness and you'll be gunned down without hesitation!"_

_"We're safe here. Don't worry Zara, they can't get us while we're here."_

_"I'm scared Jack."_

_"Don't worry, it'll be fine."_

_"Jack!"_

_"Stay behind me!"_

_"I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you, and I couldn't even back you up when you needed it. I swear, I won't rest until this damn war is over. I just need to get to the right side."_

_"JACK!"_

* * *

"Gah!" A boy suddenly jolted from his sleep and sat straight up, unintentionally hitting his head against a pipe and fell back down. "Ahhhh, blast it." He groaned as he rubbed his forehead. After clearing his head of pain, he kicked his feet over the side and got out of his confined spot.

The boy had long black hair, as dark as the space he could see outside of the window to his right. His eyes were a bright green, contrasting with the dark hair yet not appearing out of place as they squinted, adjusting to the light. He had what appeared to be remains of rather horrid white clothes, several large holes across his shirt and pants. His skin was a deep tan, evident that he had seen a good amount of sun where he had come from. He appeared to be no older than 16, yet his eyes conveyed a deeper experience then those young.

_'Blasted dreams.'_ The boy thought as he slowly stood up, walking up to the window and staring off into the darkness of space. He used the glass to see his reflection, rubbing his chin as he stared into the face he's hardly gotten to know.

He was currently on a small, barely functioning freighter ship. It was the best he could manage on short notice and knew that just about anything else would've taken too long to get and he knew he couldn't waste the time to find a more… enjoyable ship.

"Ah well, I've worked with worse." The boy said as he walked up to the cockpit, sitting into the pilot's chair and checking over the systems. The ship was easily over 100 years old, dating far back from what he's aware of. Luckily though, he's capable of getting the rust bucket flying well enough to catch a few winks of sleep and avoid ripping apart.

However, the ship's integrity is far from safe, so he couldn't use his ships main drive. Had he done that, it'd either explode or the ship would rip in two in hyperspace. So he's been forced to simply work with as much of the fuel as he had. He wasn't sure where he was, but he knew he was a good distance from Separatist space, and that was all he needed to know.

It's been over three weeks now and he hadn't seen a planet since his journey started. That and with the limited food he had, he was bound to run out soon.

Thinking on his rations, he pulled up his right sleeve and looked at the bottom of his wrist. Dug into the skin was a small, thin black screen that had several bars on it. The bars didn't fit the whole screen, with only three remaining, the top appearing dark orange while the last two were red.

He sighed as he saw the screen, irritated with the results he had. "Great, and now my nutrients is running low. I probably have another day or two before I have to have the remainder of the nutrient paste. Which means after that, I have a week before I'm screwed."

He then let his sleeve fall back over the screen as the orange bar vanished and leaned back into his chair. The moment he did however, its support broke and he fell back, causing him to flip over his shoulder and lay face first on the floor. "Stupid old ship, stupid old broken chair that doesn't stop breaking." He grumbled as he stood back up, grabbing the chair by the top and walking back into the open room.

Once there, he threw the chair against the wall and sat down next to it, placing his elbows on his knees. Leaning back against the wall, groaning as he felt his body start to weaken. "I always hate it when my nutrient levels get low. It makes the desire to fill it up early worse."

Wiping his hands down his face, he sighed as he rested his head against the cold, hard wall. "Three weeks and I can't even find a single Republic cruiser. You'd think they'd be all over the place with how large they kept saying the Republic's fleet is. Maybe even a signal or a-"

"Unidentified vessel, identify yourself." A voice spoke over the half ruined comms, causing the boy's eyes to snap over to the cockpit. "Unidentified vessel, this is Admiral Yularen of the Republic, if you are active, respond."

As fast as his feet could carry him, the boy jolted over to the controls and began to tap across the screen. He couldn't see an image of this admiral, but he knew his audio should still be working. "Yes, hello there. Admiral Yularen, this vessel is under identification 5-c47b. I've been traveling for weeks now, I don't know if it's much, but I could really use some help."

* * *

_**"Zztztzzztztztzzzzzz."**_

"Unidentified vessel, please respond." Admiral Yularen asked again as static came from his first reply."

"Something the matter?" Anakin asked as he walked up to the admiral.

"We've encountered a ship general. We've attempted contact but have gotten little in response." Yularen answered as he turned to the Jedi Knight. "All that's come in so far is static."

"We believe the comms may be damaged." A clone spoke up as he typed across his station. "The ship appears to be old, far beyond use and is leaking fuel. Perhaps its travel has damaged itself even further."

"And what of this static?" A human man asked as he walked next to Anakin, wearing grey and black Jedi robes. He had short, kept black hair and green eyes, standing at six feet. "Is it constant?"

"No general Shan." The clone responded. "It seems to come from the ship attempting to respond."

"Interesting." Hawke Shan commented as he looked over to Anakin. "What should we do then? It could be a refugee looking for help."

"Or a trap waiting to happen." Anakin added as he walked up next to Yularen. "Unidentified vessel, if you can hear me, give us a sign that you can. Your transmitter is damaged."

It took several seconds, but eventually the ship's lights blinked twice. Taking it as a signal, Anakin continued on. "Your ships damage and age seems rather desperate. We need to know if it is safe for us to approach and extract you."

There was no response after, causing Hawke to sigh and tap down on the communication controls. "Blink once for safe, and twice for critical." A single blink then went off, getting Hawke to smirk. "There, all you had to do was give him an easy way to respond. I'll gather some clones and head out there, sound good?"

"Careful Hawke, it could still be a trap." Anakin reminded his fellow Knight, who nodded and waved his hand over his shoulder.

"I'll keep us safe. Just make sure to gather some medical crew if this person needs some help." Hawke mentioned as he stared to walk out of the observation deck. "We have no idea how long they could've been out here for."

"Right." Anakin nodded as he pressed his wrist communicator. "Send a medical team down to the hangar and keep them on stand by. They may be needed soon."

A few minutes later, Hawke had gathered a small crew of several clones from the 501st legion and set off to the ship in a transport ship. It's not fit for combat like a gunship, but they needed something that may need to help keep someone under care should things be at the worst.

Flying out of the hangar, the ship slowly approached the drifting vessel, the clone pilots taking care not to damage the already falling apart vessel. "Remember men, we're expecting a pickup. But it wouldn't be too far of a stretch if this were a trap. Chaps and Fiz, you two keep your blasters set to live. Webber, Nix and Jet, you three set to stun. If we're dealing with a living being I want to avoid killing it, understood?"

"Yes sir." The clones responded as they set their DC-15S blasters to the ordered settings.

A minute later, the ship attached itself to the airlock of the vessel and locked into place. "Alright men, follow me." Hawke said as he grabbed his lightsaber from his waist. It's smooth chrome design reflecting the light as he walked up to the airlock.

Once he was close enough, he hit a switch and opened the door, causing a faint amount of musky air to flow into the ship. Hawke coughed a few times due to the musk, groaning as he waved the air away. "Damn, change the age we might of put on this ship up another ten years. This thing's filter is clearly broken. Whoever's in here is probably lucky to still be alive."

"Eh, you get used to it after awhile." The moment the voice spoke up Nix and Jet moved past Hawke and aimed their rifles, causing the target to raise his hands up. "I'm friendly, I'm friendly!"

The two clones saw the sixteen year old and slightly lowered their rifles, looking over to each other in minor confusion. "A… A kid?"

"Hey." The boy complained as he kept his hands up, his ruined sleeves falling down to his elbows as a result.

Hawke placed a hand on Nix's shoulder, patting it as he walked ahead of the two clones while the others piled in. "I don't think we'll have to worry about this one. I'll handle it from here."

"Yes sir."

The boy sighed in relief as the clones lowered their weapons. "For a second there I thought I was going to get shot."

"You would've survived, their blasters were set to stun." Hawke said as he approached the boy. "But ignoring that fact, why are you out here? It isn't every day you come across a ship that's falling apart while being operated by a kid."

"I'm sixteen." The boy mumbled before answering. "Well, Jedi sir, I'm sorta… on the run as it is."

"Not for anything bad I hope. Saving a criminal isn't a good way to start my career as a Jedi Knight."

"No, no! Nothing bad I swear!" The boy covered as he waved his hands in front of him. "In fact, me leaving was keeping me from doing anything bad."

"Really now?"

"Yes, and I'd be willing to continue on, but we should probably get off this ship."

"Why?" Webber asked, stepping up.

The boy looked over to the clone, appearing slightly embarrassed. "Because this ship could only handle two people before the plating would start to shift on itself. We probably have a minute before the vacuum of space rips the plating apart and pulls us out."

The sounding of metal creaking added on, causing the Jedi to look at him with a tired expression. "You couldn't of told us sooner?"

"Hey, not my fault the clones were ready to shoot me." The boy responded as the metal under his feet creaked. "Oh, and I'd say we have thirty seconds now."

"Move!" Hawke shouted as he grabbed Jack and threw him over his shoulder. Despite the protest from the young boy, Hawke carried on as the clones and him went back through the air lock. Once the Jedi was through, Chaps slammed his fist against the switch, closing the door.

"Sir?" One of the pilots questioned as he looked behind his seat, seeing the Jedi.

"Disconnect, disconnect!" Hawke ordered, getting a nod from the pilot as he turned back to the controls. Getting control, he disconnected from the vessel and began to separate between them. It was seconds later that the ship shook, causing Hawke to drop the boy onto the ground with a thud. "What was that?"

"The vessel exploded sir." The copilot answered as he tapped on his controls. "Seems the hyperdrive was going critical, its age was reaching a point where it couldn't handle itself. Had it of been used any time within two years, that explosion could've taken a chunk out of a planet."

"Wow, really glad I didn't use it then." The boy groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. "I knew it was old, but I didn't think it'd explode when it WASN'T used."

"Kid, you are seriously the luckiest person alive right now." Nix said as he looked down to the boy.

"I'm sixteen."

"With us, that's still a kid." Chaps responded as he holsted his blaster, being followed by the others.

"Give me at least some credit, I was working with stuff over a century old." The boy said as he sat against a wall. "Add in the fact it was all I could scavenge on such short notice and used for three weeks, I say I did great for a 'kid'."

"Three weeks?" Hawke echoed as he knelt next to the boy. "You've been out here for that long? Did you have enough supplies to last? Do you need something to eat?"

"I'm fine for the most. My nutrients levels are pretty balanced and…" The boy drawled on as he pulled his sleeve down and looked at the screen on his wrist, seeing that he was now down to one bar. "Ah blast, I hate it when it glitches early."

"What?" Hawke asked as he looked at the boy's wrist, seeing the implanted screen and the single, deep red bar on it. "Who put this in you?"

"Long story, and… can we save it for later?" The boy asked as he began to feel the draw back on his nutrients. "I was going to fill up my nutrients, but my paste seemed to of expired a bit before I could take it."

"Sir, if we're helping him, we should get back soon." Jet spoke up as he knelt next to the boy, holding a scanner-pad and typing on it. "His bodies nutrients are heavily depleted. He must have been starving himself to save up rations."

"Blast." Hawke muttered as he stood up. "Jet, try and keep him awake. Pilot, get us back to the cruiser as quickly as possible."

"Yes sir!" Both clones responded as they went to their tasks.

While they did, Hawke walked to the side of the ship and pulled out a communicator, tapping on its side and activating the hologram of Anakin. "Hawke? Is everything okay? We saw an explosion."

"We're fine Anakin. The ship's hyperdrive just self destructed due to its age." Hawker explained as he paced to the side. "But going past that, turns out we need that medical team after all. We found a kid on the ship, he's starving and is probably getting weak from the lack of nutrients. If he doesn't get treatment we may lose him."

"A kid?"

"Yeah, I know." Hawke chuckled bitterly. "Out of everything that was ridiculous, from an old ship, to the first noted hyperdrive malfunction due to expiration, the shocking part's that a kid was holding that piece of scrap together. He seems rather conservative, but he might have been lucky."

"Is there anything we should know before getting him support?"

"He's been out here for three weeks and is probably extremely weak. Jet thinks he's been starving himself to keep his supplies." Hawke answered as he looked over to the clone and boy. "It apparently didn't work, his rations expired the last time he likely filled himself. We're dealing with someone who needs time to recovery, we may need to head to a medical station to get him the full treatment he'll need."

"We can't exactly just abandon our mission. We're coming out here for a reason." Anakin responded.

"Then I'll take a transport and get him somewhere once he's able to." Hawke persisted, catching Anakin's attention.

"This kid really has your attention, doesn't he?"

"He's a lot like you Anakin. He's resourceful, gifted, and we don't even know what he can really do. All we know is that he's sixteen and capable of surviving in poor conditions for three weeks all alone. The Republic could use every edge we can get, and this kid might be one we need."

Anakin began to think as he planned his next response. "If you're that certain, then the council should understand why you needed to leave. But it's a big risk for you to take, especially if he doesn't turn out like you think."

"Trust me, he will." Hawke spoke as he turned and looked at the boy. "He'll just need time to fully realize his potential." He then smirked as an idea came up. "And I think I might know a good way to get him started."

"We'll see then. The medical team is ready and on standby."

"Good, the kid 'll need it." Hawke finished as he cut the communication, keeping an eye on the boy. "I can sense his presence. You'll make a fine soldier, most like you do."

* * *

"Generals, you can enter now." A medical clone spoke up to Anakin and Hawke, who were waiting outside of the medical room the boy was taken to.

The two Jedi nodded and entered, seeing the boy in a fresh pair of medical garbs and asleep. He had several I.V.'s hooked up to him, along with a heartbeat monitor. His hair was cut down to just an inch in length, likely to avoid it getting caught in the machinery.

"How is he?" Hawke asked one of the clones in the room.

"He'll live, but it was a close one to say the least." The head clone said as he walked up to them with a datapad. "As you explained, he was likely starving himself to ration up. It worked, but his body has gotten weaker because of it. He seemed to of had water, but his body's level seemed as if he was keeping himself from drinking much either. Possibly two days without any."

"Little food, little water, and air that was clearly messing with his mind even." Anakin spoke to himself as he wondered just how the kid managed to survive. "Was there anything else?"

"Uh, yes actually sir." The clone responded as he handed the datapad over to Anakin. "He seemed to have some sort of monitoring enhancement implanted into his wrist. It was connected to most of his nerves, and was likely what he used to know when he'd need to eat and drink. But it was also taking a lot of that to keep itself powered."

The clone then walked over to a table, moving some of the surgical equipment to expose the black screen that was once in the boy's arm. "We attempted to treat him with it in, but noticed a lot of the I.V.'s substance were being drawn into it. We removed it and immediately noticed a health increase to the boy. His vitals were picking up almost immediately upon its removal."

"It both monitored and kept him in check." Hawke concluded. "So he clearly ran from some one who wanted to keep him. And they probably thought he'd be back because of the way the monitor limited him."

"How long would you say he'd be asleep?" Anakin asked, tapping on the pad to look at the boy's more detailed examination.

"Removing the monitor was something we had to be careful about. We had to sedate him and even then he'd of still felt it with the connection to his nerves system." The clone across the room responded. "There should be enough in him to keep him asleep for a day or two. Possibly more if his bodies injuries start to act up."

"Injuries?" Hawke questioned, getting a pat on his arm from Anakin. "What?"

"Here, this is what they meant." Anakin responded as he handed the datapad to Hawke. The Knight's eyes widened slightly at the examination of the boy, seeing the dozens of scars on his body. "Two cut wounds that go across his chest, three going down his back, one that's on the back of his head, and even several burn scars on his arms and legs. Likely from blaster fire."

"He was being trained to be a soldier." Hawke muttered as he looked at each scar. The ones on his chest went diagonally across, starting from his right shoulder down to his left hip. The one on the back of his head was clean, only a thin line that went straight down from the back of his head down to the base of his neck. And the blaster injuries were smaller than the average wound. It was difficult to tell if the shot wounds were healing, or the blaster's caliber was smaller.

"Soldiers don't walk away with injuries like that." The head medical clone said. "He was put through pain most men wouldn't ever encounter. And he has even more enhancements then the one in his arm."

"Explain." Hawke ordered, getting data transferred to the pad in his hand.

"It appears that he likely had surgery across portions of his body. Most of these are small differences, only increasing his muscle and bone strength ahead of the average man. The one that we were concerned the most about is the one in his head." The clone explained as Hawke's attention went to the scar that went down the boy's head. "The scar was a surgical wound, which means someone put it in him."

"Put what?" Anakin asked as he took a step over to the boy.

"An inhibitor chip." The clone said, pulling up a skeletal hologram of the boy. "This chip is holding something back in his head, we can't tell what, but the functions it has are similar to something you'd put into an AI."

"What kind of functions?"

"Two that we can tell." The clone responded as he pointed to the hologram's skull. "A biological override that induces a high frequency signal… and a kill switch."

"A kill switch?" Hawke asked in anger as he turned to the boy. "They must of thought he'd be dangerous if he got out. But why didn't they hit it then when he escaped?"

"I killed the man who had the code and deleted all files on the chips." The whole room turned to the boy as he spoke, surprised at his waking.

"But, his vitals aren't…" One of the clones began to say as they looked at the vitals. Just like earlier, they were calm, too calm for someone awake. The heart rate was the same as someone his age sleeping, and yet he was clearly awake.

"I can control my heartbeat." The boy answered the unspoken question as he opened his eyes. "Sedation is lacking on me due to the enhancements you spoke of, it's that way because I was augmented to avoid ignoring pain or getting poisoned. My body rejects just about every chemical combination that would have an effect on a human body. I'm not immune, but my resistance is greater than most, I could survive a deadly virus for a month that could kill someone in just a few hours."

"That's… quite a lot to say." Hawke said as he placed the datapad down. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, just a little weak." The boy responded as he looked over to the Jedi. "And I think it's customary to introduce yourself when among hosts. You did save my life, so I think it's fair I answer anything you need to know."

"I see your training didn't take away formality." Hawke chuckled as he stood next to the boy. "My name is Hawke Shan, Jedi Knight. This here is Anakin Skywalker, same rank."

Anakin walked next to Hawke as he spoke to the boy. "Can you explain why you've been out here for three weeks? I know you just woke up, but it's been bothering us since you said it."

"Right, that." The boy said as he looked to the ceiling. "Well as you can tell, my trainers weren't exactly the best of people. I was meant to be a soldier that could turn the tides of battle, a super soldier if you're feeling fancy. I didn't agree with their ideals, was put through more pain because of it, and took my chances with an escape. Didn't work quite as well as I hoped it would though."

"But you're alive, and made it long enough to get support. Impressive for someone so young." Hawke responded, smirking as the boy groaned.

"Sixteen isn't that young."

"Do you have a name?" Anakin asked, getting silence from the boy.

_"J4K is so lame! Why can't you just give yourself a normal name like us? I know, why not Jack? It has a ring to it right?"_

"…Jack." The boy finally responded, turning his head to the Jedi. "My name is Jack."

"Well Jack, what now?" Hawke asked. "You found a Republic cruiser, which I assume was one of your goals. So you could go back to Republic space, live a normal life, have a family, and put the past behind you. Or perhaps you'd rather do the same but in Separatist space. Perhaps even just find a random planet to stay on. We could get you registered and on your way if you want."

"Pfft, a normal life." Jack chuckled bitterly as he turned back to the ceiling.

"You are still a kid, you could do that if you wanted to." Anakin added. "It'd probably be a better choice after all the things you've been through."

"It's impossible for me to go to a normal life." Jack responded as he closed his eyes. "Ten years of the most brutal combat training and abuse you could think of does that. No, I can't go to a normal life. Everything I did would've been for nothing."

"Then… what?"

Jack then opened his eyes, determination burning in his vision as he forced himself to clench his fist. "I want to fight for an actual cause. One that I agree with. One like the Republic."

"You're only sixteen and you want to fight in a war?" Anakin questioned.

"Jedi start fighting even sooner. Some Padawans can be fifteen when they start actually fighting in this war."

"Yes, but-"

"How far are you willing to prove you'll fight for us?" Hawke interrupted.

"Whatever you want me to do, I'll fight my hardest as long as I do some good." Jack responded as he looked at the two Jedi. "I just want to help people, that's all."

_'You claim sixteen isn't young, but you think so much like a kid.'_ Hawke thought sorrowfully as he kept a straight face. "Then I believe I may have an idea that could get you to fight alongside us. But you won't just be proving it to me, or a Jedi."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes. All I ask for is a chance to prove myself."

Hawke smiled at the answer. "That's conviction." He said as he patted Jack's shoulder. "That'll be a good part of what you need. I'll explain to you the better details of everything once you're healthy enough to do it. For now, you need your rest. Your body is too weak to even stand, so we'll be taking you to a facility that can better treat you. Is that okay?"

Jack groaned as he closed his eyes. "I don't like waiting, but I have been for three weeks now. What's a few more?"

"That's the spirit." Hawke said as he stepped back. "Just wait a while longer and I promise you, I'll make sure you get your wish."

"Uh Hawke, mind if we speak outside?" Anakin asked as he grabbed Hawke and pulled him out of the room, the door closing behind him. "Are you serious about this? Getting a kid involved and becoming a soldier?"

"I can think of worse things he could've become. An assassin, a mercenary, or even a bounty hunter." Hawke responded, crossing his arms. "This way, we don't have to worry about a potential super soldier going against our troops on the field."

"Yeah, but becoming a soldier so young?"

"He isn't going to say no, so stopping him will be pointless." Hawke countered. "Plus, we can get him some proper training, perhaps fix his planning a bit as well. I mean, he can't be that bad, I'd say give him the chance and let him prove himself. And besides, if we bring him to Kamino for training, he'll be there for perhaps a few months with the next batch of clones. He'll probably be seventeen by the time he's done."

"He'd still be a kid."

"A kid with both the basic direct military training and even his super soldier enhancement training. I mean, it sounds like a good deal if you ask me."

"And what of the clones? Do you think they'll accept this?"

"Sure, it might take some time. But I'm certain if he makes enough of a name of himself, and stay side by side with them, they'll respect him."

Anakin sighed as he shook his head. "If you really think having this kid fight with us is a good thing, then go for it. I'll continue on the mission while you bring him to Kamino."

"Yes!"

"But you have to tell the council."

"No!"

* * *

**(A/N): Well, haven't thought of doing this story again in awhile. Long story short, I've written several chapters of this on another cite and will be transferring it over to here. For those who are used to my current writing, if you notice a difference in quality that's mainly due to the fact this was my mid-writing, having started it around a year ago and dropped it after I came to this site. Once it's caught up I'll be able to make it into my current writing style, but since it's at least at my shifting point from my original writing style to my current, it should at least be bearable. I'm probably making a bigger deal out of this than it is, I just feel that most of my pre-fanfic writings were flawed that looking back makes me cringe from a story perspective.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Peace!**


	2. Kamino Training

"So, this is his first training session correct?" Hawke asked as his hologram turned to the two who stood next to him, Jedi Master Shaak Ti and Clone Commander Ray.

Shaak Ti was a female togruta, and one of the several members of the Jedi Council. Her skill and knowledge alone was enough to have her chosen to oversee the clone training process.

And Commander Ray was the commander of the current section they were in. He wore Arc Trooper armor with the Kamino security design across the white of it. However, unlike most troopers under his command, he had several horizontal blue paint patterns across his forearms, legs and helmet, the pattern being inspired by his Jedi general's own natural skin pattern across her montrals and lekku.

He currently had his helmet off, revealing the face he shared with countless other brothers, the only unique feature to him being a small scar on his lower jaw.

"That'd be correct sir." Ray responded as he and Shaak Ti kept their gaze towards the pure white simulation room below their observation deck. Currently there was test going on, where Jack and a squad of four clones in simulation gear with a black shoulder pad to represent their team. "He managed to pass the academic portion of training, so he seems intelligent enough to plan. But there is a problem I noticed with him."

"And that is?" Hawke asked, getting a raised finger from Ray.

"Give it a second, you'll see soon."

"Blast!" Jack shouted as he ducked behind cover, holding a DC-15S blaster rifle. He had on the simulation armor with the number 5 on several parts including his colored shoulder, back and right chest.

The current simulation they were on was C-27-4HT, codenamed: Badlands. The simulation places the team in a wide-open area with little cover, each spread by several empty and very open paths. Across the whole large arena were two towers, both with three droid gunners on different levels. Add in the large droid force that accompanied the towers and that was a slaughter waiting to happen if you just ran in gung-ho.

"Kid! Move up!" CT 25-32-46 shouted the order to Jack, using his Z-6 rotary blaster canon to mow down the several droids that were in the starting area. The clone had a 1 on his armor, signaling his identification on the group.

"I'm not a kid!" Jack yelled as he stood and shot at the towers, missing and having to duck to avoid a shot to the head. "And are you crazy!? The moment I move into open area I'll be shot to pieces!"

"Ah just grow some thicker skin and move you brat!" CT 25-47-93 barked as he held his DC-15A rifle over his cover, attempting to hit several of the farther distanced droids with his better accuracy. The clone's armor number was 3.

"Rgh, fine!" Jack snarled as he moved up, keeping his head down to avoid getting shot. As he was about to reach the next set of cover, he was suddenly tackled to the side as a blast hit where he was going to be.

"Guys, you did not just use the kid as a distraction!" The clone that tackled Jack into cover shouted as he brought his DC-15S blaster up and fired at the droid formations.

"I'm not a kid." Jack muttered as he picked himself up and sat against the cover. "And thank you Tacs, you saved me there."

Tacs, the clone with the number 2 on his armor, nodded once and continued to fire. "No problem Jack, I got your back."

"Tacs, stop babying the kid and focus on the objective." The last clone, Stiches, said as he took cover behind a wall, holding his DC-15S as he kept behind the corner to avoid the blaster fire.

"Exactly, we have more important things to worry about! Like the objective!" CT 25-32-46 shouted as he kept moving forward, taking cover just ahead of the group, leaning from the side to fire the minigun at full speed, decimating the several droids at point blank.

"The kid's on our team, you can't just use him as bait!" Tacs yelled back as he moved up with Ct 25-32-46, moving his body to the side to avoid a blaster bolt.

CT 25-47-93 chuckled as he shot a droid in the faceplate. "Well he's sure as hell is good at it. You wouldn't believe how many I hit as he ran through the field like a headless chicken."

"Deadshot, what the hell!?" Jack yelled as he vaulted over his cover, moving up along with CT 25-32-46 and Tacs.

"What did I say? Don't call me that stupid name." Deadshot responded as he ducked under cover, avoiding several blaster bolts.

"Well I gotta call you by something." Jack said as he took cover. "And you're a good shot, so I thought it was a good idea to-"

"Kid, just shut up!" CT 25-32-46 snapped as he stopped firing, turning to Jack. "Stop acting like you're one of us! You've been like that for the whole month you've been here, and you clearly aren't! Why can't you just see you're not meant for this and-AGH!" Halfway through his vent, CT 25-32-46 was shot in the shoulder by a droid, knocking him down and stunning him.

"32!" Jack shouted as he ran into the blaster fire, running up to the downed clone and firing back at the droids.

"Jack no!"

"Blast! Cover the stupid kid!" Deadshot ordered as he began to fire at the droids aiming directly at Jack, who stumbled as he approached CT 25-32-46.

Once he was by him, Jack wrapped his arms under CT 25-32-46's armpits and dragged him, pulling him behind cover and safe from possibly getting hit again.

Hawke winced as he stared at the skeptical, seeing the problem clear as day. "They aren't working together at all."

"Yeah, and the problem is that all of them are to blame." Ray responded as he watched Stiches get hit in the chest, knocking him down and eliminating him. "CT 25-32-46 always rushes into a fight, and he never listens to the others in any situation. He's really hardheaded, and on the field that isn't good."

"CT 25-11-11, or Tacs as they call him, focuses too much on trying to get everyone to get along then focus on the objective. He sees problems at face level and it only makes things worse for the group in the end."

"Deadshot is a rogue." Shaak Ti spoke up, continuing on Ray's assessment. "He could care less of teamwork, something not often seen with clones, but not uncommon with snipers. Stiches also doesn't assess situations well, so call outs seem pointless to him."

"And Jack, the kid you recommended." Ray picked back up, cupping his chin as he saw Jack suddenly double his efforts, managing to hit a few droids at a good distance as Tacs was shot and eliminated. "He's far too emotional. He has trouble directly following the orders and chooses his allies over the objective. Not only that, but a good portion of his squad doesn't like him. Tacs is the only one who seems to have respect and worry for him while Stiches could care less, and Deadshot and CT 25-32-46 seem to despise him. Not very good team chemistry."

"I wish I could've stayed personally." Hawke groaned as he watched the botched attempt of a simulation. "But I only got permission to bring him, I had to be on the field the moment after he recovered."

"It wouldn't make a difference." Shaak Ti explained. "This team has a difficult challenge in accepting each other. You can't force a team with bad relations like this to get along. The clones felt irritated to learn their fifth failed in batch, and even worse when they learned a civilian would join their group."

"It sounds like I made things worse for the kid." Hawke said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Eh, his attitude doesn't help him too much either." Ray responded as Jack's left shoulder got hit, the boy still standing and firing with his right arm. "He doesn't take well to everything the clones say about him, and that adds fuel to the fire even. And despite his clear skills he has, he's still really green in warfare tactics."

"I can't get any further in this position." Jack muttered as he leaned his back against his cover, ducking down to avoid the elevated blaster fire. "The limited cover and even the elevated turrets make this near impossible. What am I supposed to-" He was then interrupted as several shots missed around his head, pulling his attention towards Deadshot's position, seeing the clone getting his weapon knocked away and shot twice in the chest.

"Oh come on!" Jack shouted as he aimed and fired at the droids flanking him, barely missing due to the range and limited recoil handling with a single arm. Once the droids turned to him, he attempted to run to the side, but tripped halfway into his third step and out of cover. The enemy turrets wasted no time as they barraged his back, stunning him.

Almost as quickly as it started, the simulation ended with the sound of a buzzer. As the squad started to feel the stuns wear off and the cleaning crew came in, Hawke sighed and shook his head. "I have never seen a team fail such a simple assignment. They weren't even doing the Citadel simulation and they were wiped out in just over a minute."

"If they could put their differences aside, they could be an effective unit." Shaak Ti started as the squad started to walk off, all the clones seeming to keep a distance from Jack, who's head hanged down as he took his helmet off. "And Jack, even at 15 he can keep up with clones, if they could tell that then maybe they'd accept him more."

"16." Hawke spoke up, getting both the Jedi Master and Commander's attention. "You said he was 15, he's 16. I don't mean to be that guy but it is an important piece."

Both the Jedi and clone looked at each other before looking back at Hawke. "Sir, we checked everything about the kid before putting him in. The year he was born could suggest he's 16, and he may even believe it too, but from what his carbon data shows, he hasn't matured past 15 yet. He was likely born late into the year."

"He lied to me?" Hawke muttered as he looked down.

"No, he may actually believe he's 16, he hasn't said anything against it yet." Shaak Ti answered as Jack patted 99's shoulder, a disfigured clone, as he walked past him. "He more likely doesn't know the day he was born, something that we should inform him once he and his squad finally work together."

"…Yeah." Hawke agreed, knowing full well how bad it would look on Jack if he were actually a year younger than he thought he was. Or more specifically, how bad the clones' views on him would worsen. He then sighed as he shook his head. "I have to go now, please keep me updated Master Shaak Ti."

"Of course." The Jedi Master responded as Hawke's hologram disappeared, leaving the two to themselves. "Tell me Ray, what do you think Hawke sees in the boy?"

"Well, he isn't wrong about the kid's potential." Ray answered. "The kid has good aim, even with a DC-15S he's hit targets some clones can't at the time. He's also very mobile, his reaction time is quicker than you'd expect too. Sometimes though his body can't keep up with it or he slips up. Honestly, right now he's no better than the average soldier."

"And on the first day of simulations."

"And with armor that doesn't fit." Ray added. "I'll make sure he gets a real suit for tomorrow's simulations. Don't want him tripping over himself like he did today."

"Think that will change the outcome?"

"It certainly won't make him look like an idiot."

* * *

"Blast!" CT 25-32-46 shouted as he took his helmet off and threw it against his locker.

"Well, that could've gone better." Stiches said as he laid on one of the many sleeping platforms that were out, waiting for the clones to sleep in them.

"That's a way of putting it." Jack sighed as he started to take his gear off, starting with the colored shoulder pad.

"We have to start working together out there." Tacs said as he stopped on the ladder up to his platform. "We're dead in the water if we can't even get close to one of the towers. That's not even the hardest simulation we'll be tested on."

"I don't want to hear it from the guy who can't focus on the objective and get's shot while in cover." Deadshot said as he leaned his head over his platform, looking down at the group.

"Hey, give Tacs a break." Jack said as he finished taking his chest piece off and walked into the open, looking up at Deadshot. "At least he actually communicates with the team. I didn't know you were about to be eliminated until after several of your missed shots grazed my helmet."

"Yeah well maybe it would've done better if you just got hit by them."

"I don't see that logic." Stiches said with a raised eyebrow as he looked up to Deadshot, lying on his back.

"Of course YOU don't."

"Come on man, what's your problem?" Jack asked as he tried to understand the clone. "What's the problem with all of this?"

"The problem is that you're here." CT 25-32-46 said as he jabbed a finger on Jack's chest. "You shouldn't even be here, you're just a kid."

"I'm more than just a kid." Jack responded as he slapped 32-46's hand away. "And calling me the problem? That's a neat way of shifting the blame of today's mishaps on me."

"What does that mean?" 32 asked with a glare.

"You got unfocused and literally stopped fighting to yell at me in the middle of a simulation." Jack said. "You were the first one down because you decided yelling at a teammate was better than the fight at hand. You think I don't belong here, but I see someone who's had the lowest scores in his whole batch right in front of me."

The next thing Jack knew, he received a slug to his cheek as 32, had enough. As the clone was about to throw another punch however, Jack's body went on autopilot and he caught the next punch, delivering one of his own to the clone's gut. The two's slugfest went on, with the others yelling at them to stop.

"Guys stop!" Tacs ordered as he began to climb down the later.

"Seriously, you'll get us in trouble if you…" Stiches slowly trailed off as he saw who was approaching, looking nervous as he saw the increased pace. "We're so dead."

"Enough!" As the two were about to hit each other again, both found themselves getting their legs kicked out from under them by Ray and landing on the ground by their backs.

Everyone's eyes were wide as Ray stood rigid, his hands behind his back as he narrowed his eyes at the down two. "If you spent half as much time fighting the simulations as you did each other, you would be the best squad there is. Never before have I had the disgrace to see two members of a squad fight each other like this."

"I wonder why…" Deadshot muttered as he looked at jack.

"Drop that attitude CT 25-47-93!" Ray snapped, getting the clone to drop silent. "Who the squad is comprised of should not matter! When you head into battle, there is a fair chance you could fight alongside the locals. What will you do then, throw the same excuses out and refuse to work together?"

The commander then turned his attention to 32, who flinched under his gaze. "Jack was right about one thing though, it was because of your refusal to understand what's more important in a battle that ruined your team. You all had mistakes, but yours was a blunder that would kill more than just four other soldiers."

"But sir-"

"There is nothing else about it!" Ray shouted as he walked past the squad. "If you think you even have a chance of passing any of the simulations with skills like that, then you're in for a road that leads to a swift end. You're a team, so act like one."

As the clone commander left, the whole squad was left in silence. None of them were able to even consider what to say after the scolding from the commander. All they could do was continue with finishing up what they were doing and go to sleep, the platforms going into the wall to save space.

While the clones went to sleep one by one, Jack remained awake, looking up into the interior as he processed everything Ray was saying. He also wondered if he was really the reason the squad was being dragged down, like 32 and Deadshot really believe.

The thoughts plagued his mind till he couldn't take it and had the platform exit the wall. He then jumped off the platform and landed gently on the ground, barely making a sound as he started to walk down the halls. The sterile white of the facility had always bothered him, it hurt his eyes just being in the buildings.

Jack would continue to walk until he was by a hangar, walking past the shuttles and into the rain. His clothes were instantly soaked by Kamino's near constant downpour of rain. He sighed as he closed his eyes and let the cold calm his body. He couldn't explain it, but the cold always seemed to make him feel more at peace, more relaxed and collective.

"A good night for a stroll." Jack nearly slipped over at the voice of Shaak Ti, who was now next to him with her brown hood over her head.

"Oh man…" Jack panted as he looked down, seeing the raging waters that he almost fell in to. "Please don't do that again ma'am, I'm pretty sure I could've died three different ways because of that."

"I did not intend to surprise you." Shaak Ti responded as she looked into the clouded horizon, not even bothered by the rain.

"I… figured." Jack responded uneasily. He was wary of Jedi, not because he didn't like them, but to him they were the pinnacle of warriors. Just a Padawan could defeat just about any soldier on their own, and he's standing right next to a Master so recognized she's on the Jedi Council, filled with the most gifted and talented Jedi Masters.

"Something troubles you." Shaak Ti spoke, turning her head to him.

"What makes you say that?" Jack asked as he focused on the clouds above them.

"99 says you always come out here when something bothers you."

"Blast it 99." Jack mumbled as he closed his eyes. The disfigured clone had a heart of gold, he always knew when someone was bothered and usually helped the best he could. Some clones have passed and were grateful of 99's help with fixing problems the team had, but some see him as a failure. CT 25-32-46 being one of them.

Knowing the Jedi Master was going to make this a conversation, he decided to answer. "It's just… did I make the right choice?" Jack asked as he looked at the togrutan. "I mean, our first simulation and the whole team gets slaughtered like we're nothing. Every other team passed or came really close to, while we didn't even get to the second set of orders. And Deadshot and 32 think it's my fault, what if they're right?"

"And what if they're wrong?" Shaak Ti asked. "It was the first simulation, trouble will always occur."

"But it was flat out horrible. We can't even work together to get past the first objective."

"If a team fails, it is not because of a single individual." Shaak Ti said as she looked out. "Your whole team had their faults, not one of you are to take all the blame for this failure. Your team needs to understand their weaknesses and work on covering it with the others' strengths."

"And what if it is just me, and they would do just fine without me?"

"You are where you chose to be, you made the decision to come here. If you believe you shouldn't be here, then what keeps you from just leaving?"

Jack tightened his right hand into a fist as Shaak Ti finished speaking. "Because… I want to make a difference." He said as he looked at his fist. "I don't want to just sit around and wait for this war to be over, I want to help end it before too many lives are taken."

Shaak Ti smiled at Jack's answer. "Then you are not a problem. You are exactly where you belong, you just have to work things out with your team." Jack then flinched as the Jedi Master placed a hand on his shoulder. "You still have much to learn, but I believe you can become a great soldier. You just have to believe in yourself, and find trust in your squad."

Jack looked down as Shaak Ti removed her hand and stared to walk away. "Standing out in the rain isn't healthy, you'll catch a cold. I don't think your team will be happy if you get another handicap added on to you."

Jack looked back to Shaak Ti in mild surprise before smiling and looking back to the clouds. "I won't stay much longer, just need the reminder of what I feel ma'am."

"Just a reminder."

* * *

"Get down!" Jack shouted as he tackled Deadshot to the ground, raising his blaster up to take out the two droids that were approaching them.

The two then got back up and Deadshot went back to sniping, aiming for the droids at the towers at the front corners of the arena. Not a word was spoken between the two as Jack would provide cover for Tacs, Stiches and 32.

After the, scolding from Ray, the squad knew they'd have to improve in some way. And the best they could think of was keep 32-46 and Jack apart. Jack would be pushed back from the forward position with the heavy gunner and be placed back with Deadshot, both guarding Deadshot from being flanked and providing cover-fire for the rest.

The squad still was rough around the edges, but proved to have improved over the course of the month. Enough that they had started to work on the Citadel simulation.

The advancement in training was a little overwhelming for Jack, but he always managed to keep up with it. He knew they wouldn't have much time over a month to train, since clones are expected to be ready and out of the simulations as quick as possible. And he would be no exception in the assembly.

The stress of this being the final test didn't help, as he knew one slip up could ruin it for the whole team. So he focused on his part, kept the droids off of his team the best he could, and relied on the others to do their part.

"They look like they're doing well." Hawke said as he was now here in person. Along with Commander Ray and Shaak Ti, Anakin and his former master Obi Wan Kenobi were there. Even their clones, Captain Rex of the 501st and Commander Cody of the 212th were watching.

"A little restricted though, they seem tense." Rex commented, noticing how careful the squad was, which was too much for an active field team.

"They haven't passed the Citadel simulation yet." Ray responded. "They've come close once or twice, but never quite getting that final step to win."

"Tell me, the one shorter than the rest is this Jack correct?" Obi Wan asked.

"Yes Master Kenobi." Hawke answered. "He's the boy we found back then. He's shown a lot of potential since coming here, more then expected."

"And you want him, a child, to fight on the frontlines with us?"

"Ah, HE wants to Master." Hawke said, smiling at Obi Wan. "He volunteered, wanting to help end the war. He even was willing to go through this training to prove his mettle."

"Kid's got guts." Rex said as Jack ducked under a bolt, quickly recovering and blasting the droid in the faceplate. "Has pretty good aim too."

"How's his teamwork?" Cody asked.

"Ehhhh…" Ray and Hawke both went, unsure of what to say.

Shaak Ti gave a small chuckle before answering for the two. "He follows authority well, although he doesn't seem to care for ranking. He'll follow orders, but he'll find his own way to do so. Also, don't expect a commander, captain or general response from him right away. He's very informal at the start, but he'll learn authority after a few missions I'm sure."

"Sounds like a soldier perfect for you Anakin." Obi Wan commented, getting an eye roll from the Knight.

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"We're getting close!" 32 shouted as he continued firing. "Move up! Let's get this final push going!"

"Wait, we haven't cleared the droids out yet!" Jack responded, ducking behind cover as several bolts almost hit him. "You guys can't just move up, you'll get swarmed!"

"We can handle it! Stiches, Tacs, move!"

"Blast!" Jack cursed as he clenched his blaster, fighting against the urge to do something stupid.

"Uh oh, he's got the look." Ray said as the whole group looked at him.

"What look exactly?" Anakin asked.

"The "I'm going to do something really stupid to fix a mistake" look." Ray responded, getting an eye rise from the Jedi. "His squad leader, CT 25-32-46, has a habit of going head first into any situation. Jack has several times had to step in and do something to keep the squad from falling apart. It usually does in the end, but he's got a moment or two on him."

"Jack, I know that look." Deadshot spoke as he stopped firing. "Don't you dare go running out there like an idiot or…" The clone trailed off as he looked to his side, seeing the kid already gone. "Oh come on!"

"Don't blame me!" Jack yelled back as he started to make his way up to the rest of the squad. Every few steps he'd have to roll to the side, but his rush was working effectively, much better than the cautious and slow approaching sniper.

"Well, well." Rex spoke as he nodded. "Kid's got some moves. Haven't seen a recruit move like that in a long time. Let's see what the turrets think of this then."

As the captain finished speaking, the tower's turrets started to branch off from the advanced squad and started to fire at Jack, who rolled behind cover and stayed down as the right layer of guns kept him from advancing. "Blast." Jack spat as he kept his back against the cover, not even able to poke his head out to see the squad. As he was prepared to jump out and run, he looked to his left to see a destroyed droid, and idea flashing in his head. "This is either going to be really cool, or really painful."

He then holstered his gun on his lower back and grabbed the droid, feeling the weight of it. "What is he doing?" Cody questioned as he looked at the kid test ways he could hold the droid, an excited grin forming on his face.

"Here goes nothing!" Jack shouted as he ran out from the cover, holding the droid in front of him as he ran as fast as he could. He could feel the pounding the turrets were giving the droid, but knew it would hold since the rounds used were stun and not live.

"Kid? What are you doing!?" 32 demanded as he saw Jack advancing, unable to move up because of the turrets fire.

"Improvising!" Jack responded as he kept moving, not stopping despite to blasting power that hammered against the droid.

The clones all stared as they saw Jack get closer and closer, none able to think of a response to such a stupid and risky tactic. All except for one.

"Well, what are we waiting for!?" 32 spoke as he threw his minigun to the ground, picking up his own droid and taking off as Jack ran past him. "Grab a Clanker and get moving!"

Tacs was the first to follow through, holstering his weapon and running after them with his own cover, shortly followed by Stiches. Deadshot was the only one not to grab a droid, but instead started to approach the tower while shooting at the turrets, taking them down and lessening the onslaught.

"Kid, this is by far the only good idea you've ever had!" 32 grinned as he ran next to Jack.

The kid grinned back in response and picked up the pace. "Of course you'd see this as good. You're a really straightforward guy Blitz!"

"Blitz?"

"You always run ahead of us and rush things! It's perfect! Whadda say?"

"Get through this and maybe I'll accept you're simple minded name!"

"Then make way!"

"Well, this is certainly a first." Ray said as he smiled. "They actually agreed on a battle plan in the middle of a fight."

"Yeah, but that would never work on a real battle field." Cody commented. "Those droids would've been destroyed beyond use after only a few shots."

"Maybe, but this isn't a real battle field." Ray countered. "Work with what you got, not what you may have."

The squad was fast approaching, just mere meters away from the main tower as they kept pushing forward. As they started to run up the inclined plain close to the trench area just before the tower, disaster struck as Jack's leg was shot from behind. The sudden and unexpected pain stumbled the boy and he fell back, rolling down and just short of the turret's range.

The boy grunted as he attempted to get up, seeing several droids that jumped from the surrounding towers begin to approach him, aiming down their blasters in a mocking way. Jack then attempted to reach for his blaster, but was shocked when the three were shot down in an instant, two from the front and one from behind.

"Come on kid!" Deadshot shouted as he crouched next to Jack and put his right arm over his shoulders, helping him run up the incline. "We're so close and I refuse to let you screw up now!"

"Huh, that's an improvement." Ray commented. "If this were just a week ago, they would've just left him there."

"That doesn't sound very cooperative." Obi Wan responded, raising an eyebrow at the clone.

"Well, it was kinda hard for them to do that when Jack was the last one left standing. So there's a plus."

"That doesn't make it better."

"Alright, we're all here!" Deadshot called out as he set Jack down next to the wall, the whole squad just low enough to avoid the blaster fire.

"Good, everyone set up your cables." Tacs ordered, and to that they all went to their belts and set up the cables on their weapons.

"Wait, Blitz and I don't have weapons." Jack said as he looked around, his eyes widening as he saw Blitz holding his blaster.

"Deadshot, leave your weapon and climb up so that the kid can climb up it as well." Blitz ordered as he fired his cable and started to climb, shortly being followed by Stiches.

Tacs however remained, motioning his rifle up to the two as he turned to face their flanks. "I'll cover you two while you move up, go!"

"You heard the man!" Deadshot said as he fired his cable, hooking it at the top before he started to climb up the wire.

Jack grabbed the wire with both his hands before turning back to Tacs, who was firing at several of the remaining droids they missed. Jack took a glance at the droids distance, and ran a quick calculation in his head. "Tacs, move up! We'll be fine!"

"What!?"

"Are you crazy kid!?" Deadshot shouted as he turned down to jack.

"Trust me!" Jack called out as he started to climb up, relying on his arm strength alone to pull himself up.

Tacs seemed to weigh his options, but nodded once and turned, firing his cable up. Once locked in, he began to make his climb up, going quicker than both Jack and Deadshot. The two clones flinched when blaster bolts hit near them, while Jack remained unphased as he ascended up. As the three began to reach the top, blaster fire went across the flag as Stiches and Blitz provided cover fire.

"Get up here! We pass together or not at all!" Blitz called, moving to the side to avoid getting blasted.

The three then picked their pace up, Deadshot and Tacs reacting the top and pulling themselves up and moving to the flag. Jack was still lagging behind, getting close to the top. As he reached his hand to the ledge, his arm was shot, stunning him and causing his hold on the cable to slip. _'Blast! I left the safe zone!'_

Jack had flipped over his back before he felt himself stop, dangling by his right foot as the battle continued to go on. He looked up to see that none other than Blitz had caught him, both his hands gripped around his ankle. "You. Will not! Drag us down kid!" With a shout, he pulled up with all his strength, brining Jack up and falling back as he did.

Once the two were up, Stiches ran over to the flag and with a grin picked it up. The red light then turned green and the three clones began to cheer, with jack and Blitz both on their backs looking at the ceiling.

"Why did you tell him to stop shooting?" Blitz asked.

"It's something I noticed during the past month." Jack answered. "The simulation droids have a certain range that no matter what, they won't hit the targets. We were at that perfectly up until the very top, where the range was where their enhanced aim activated."

"He could tell that?" Ray questioned, interested in the thought.

"How difficult is that?" Anakin asked, turning to the Commander.

"Even I didn't know about that. It was risky to just assume that, but managing it was ridiculous."

"Hmm, sounds like the perfect soldier for you." Obi Wan said, smirking at Anakin.

"Hey, he gets the job done, doesn't he? All he needs is a little bit of sharpening around the edges and he'll be good." Anakin responded. "Although it's gonna be a little annoying having a kid around."

"Well, that 'kid' just helped make sure a team of clones could pass their simulation." Rex commented, smirking as Blitz helped Jack up. "I think he'll fit in just fine."

"Well then, I'd get him and his squad ready." Obi Wan said as he and Anakin started to leave. "We'll have them set to come to Christophsis. Hopefully they'll be as good as they are now without parameters to keep them safe."

"Yes sir." Both Rex and Cody responded as they saluted.

Hawke however remained as the team was now cheering together. "You'll do great things Jack, and I can't wait to see you grow."

"Way to go boys!"

"We finally beat this thing!"

"And then the next step: Arc Troopers!"

While the clones of his squad cheered, Jack was just grinning away. He had finally done it, he managed to prove he's good enough for the frontlines. And he'll make sure that he and his team get the recognition they deserve.


	3. Trench's Warfare

"Go, go, go!" A clone sergeant ordered as the rest were scrambling across the ship, cannon fire hitting the shields constantly from the outside battle.

"This is ridiculous!" Jack shouted as he stumbled into the wall. "First mission and we're stuck in a fleet battle?"

"You have to get past the blockade before going down to a Separatist controlled planet." Tacs responded as the two were making their way to the command bridge. "You had to of known this would happen, we came with a fleet to take on the whole thing."

"Still, I didn't think it would be by such forces." Jack muttered. "I thought most Separatist blockades can't handle direct force for long."

"They must have a competent admiral."

Soon after, the two entered the bridge, seeing Anakin and Admiral Yularen on the holo-communications with Obi-Wan. "Sir, you asked for us?" Tacs asked as the two stood at attention.

"Obi-Wan here thought you may be able to help us with the blockade problem." Anakin answered as the two noticed the cruisers were turning and retreating.

"Yes, our plan requires a special touch of calculation and your simulation proved you're both risky but smart." Obi-Wan explained.

"If it helps us get passed the blockade, I'll do what I can Obi-Wan." Tacs then elbowed his side, getting a small grunt from the boy. "General Kenobi."

"Good. There's just one more thing I'll have to ask."

"Yes?"

"How good can you pilot a ship that actually works?"

* * *

"Well, we're here." Anakin spoke as he and Jack walked into the hangar of Obi-Wan's from a transport shuttle. "Tell me about this new weapon."

"You're looking at it." Obi-Wan answered, confusing the two.

"Um, what exactly are we looking at Obi-OW!" As Jack walked past Obi-wan, he felt his head hit against something. "Ah, what was that?"

"That is our new weapon you've become acquainted with." Obi-Wan chuckled as a long, slim ship phased into reality. "It's a stealth ship."

"Oh man, this has made my day." Jack said as he took his helmet off, grinning like a kid who got a new toy.

"Hopefully it will make our day as well."

"So I assume that scanners can't detect it?" Anakin asked as the three walked around the ship.

"As far as we know, but this is the first real field test." Obi-Wan answered.

"That's encouraging."

"This is going to be awesome."

"See, Jack seems up to the challenge." Obi-Wan smirked as the two turned to the boy, who was sliding his hand across the stealth ship's hull as they walked.

"So, we can sneak through them undetected and attack them from behind?" Anakin asked. "Seems rather small for taking out a whole fleet. Furthermore…"

"No, this is the prototype and you won't be on the offensive." Obi-Wan interrupted. "You'll both being running a mercy mission down to the planet's surface. The ship can hold enough supplies for Senator Organa's headquarters."

"Wait… so we're not going to take on the fleet?" Jack asks, sounding disappointed. "But Obi-Wan, with this ship we could take on that whole fleet no problem. We wouldn't have to risk any more potential casualties and-"

"Jack, slow down." Obi-Wan spoke up. "It's more important to save lives than destroy ships. I need you and Anakin to continue the mercy mission."

Jack sighed in response, his head hanging down in slight shame as he nodded. "I understand sir, sorry for speaking out. I'll… go help with stocking the supplies into the ship."

As Jack placed his helmet on and began to walk off, Anakin turned to Obi-Wan. "He does have a point though. We could manage to take out the fleet if we had the ordnance."

"Anakin, we have to focus on the supplies getting to the Senator's headquarters. If we don't people will die." Obi-Wan responded.

"And what about the kid? You mean to tell me you brought him here just to fly the ship?"

"Jack managed to fly a ship that should have ripped itself apart years before he flew it. And managed to keep himself alive for three weeks while avoiding detection from any planet's sensors." Obi-Wan explained. "If anyone can fly a stealth ship better than the design it's given, it's him."

"What about me?"

"If I want a ship crashed expertly, I'll be sure to let you know."

"Ha ha, very funny."

Half an hour later, all of the supplies were loaded and Jack was walking up the ship's ramp when he saw Admiral Yularen approaching Anakin. "Thank you for waiting sir. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No apologies Admiral. What have you got?" Anakin asked.

"Something about this morning's engagement struck me as familiar." Yularen responded as the two started to walk up the ramp, giving Jack the idea of getting to his post now and setting up. "So I did some research."

"And?"

"I believe the opposing commander is none other than Admiral Trench."

"If I remember my military history correctly, wasn't he vaporized in the battle Now Staring Arrows?"

"I don't think he would have been caught in any explosion." Jack spoke up as the two approached. "I checked the recordings of the battle, and I could recognize most of the tactics that the enemy used. And considering how well the droids had preformed the feats couldn't be much of anyone else."

"You a fan?" Anakin asked as he looked at the arachnid head symbol on the datapad given to him.

"I had to study a lot on ship combat when I wasn't training before you guys found me." Jack answered as he was checking the systems. "That spider faced freak may be one of the worst guys you'll ever meet, but I can't deny he's really smart and beyond most tacticians we have now."

"Are you sure it's him though?"

"If it isn't, this guy is a prodigy that could become even more dangerous." Jack responded. "But I'm certain it's him, he's bold, but when beat he'll tuck his tail between his legs and abandon ship."

"Well, we may be in luck then." Anakin started as he walked up the set of stairs before sitting next to Jack. "My orders are not to engage Trench, just to deliver supplies to senator Organa."

"With all due respect general. I do not believe we will have a choice in the matter." Admiral Yularen responded. "If it is indeed Trench, then he will come for us."

"Us?"

"Yes, I am volunteering my services as consultant general." Jack looked down as he was doing a third check on the systems. He knew Trench's history, and in turn he knew that Yularen had gone through a naval battle against the arachnid tactician. And the amount of casualties he suffered in doing so.

"Welcome aboard." Anakin said, proud in the admiral's commitment.

"Everyone is on board." One of the several clones on station reported over comms.

"Dispatch we are powering up and ready to go." Anakin spoke to the open comms as he and jack set up the final phases and slowly ascended. The cruisers hangar then opened as they took off, starting their travel around Christophsis' moon.

"Going silent in ten."

"Systems green."

"Power core steady."

"Incoming scanning, looking at 12."

Amongst all the comm chatter, Jack remained focused as he kept a steady hand on the controls. He knew the chances they were taking, but in this ship he was certain whatever was to come he and the crew would be ready.

"Engage cloaking device." Anakin ordered, to which jack quickly set in the code across the several buttons and switches. It wasn't long after the whole ship became cloaked, invisible to the eye outside as they passed around the moon.

"Cloaking active, engines remaining at a steady pace." Jack said as he kept the systems in check. "How's the power out put?"

"Everything is working at full capacity." A clone, a new soldier by the name Sparkplug responded over the comms.

"Good, let's show these veterans what some rookie talent can do."

"Yes sir."

"Hm, weird." Jack said as the comms cut, turning to see Anakin looking at him. "What? We're both new, it's weird being called sir."

"Just stay focused, we don't know what to expect." Anakin responded as the two went back to their controls. It wasn't long before they were coming up on the first Separatist cruiser. Jack had to suppress the urge to gulp as they slowly passed it. He had faith in the technology, but seeing the cannons was more than enough to put him on edge.

Once they were passed, Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. "Alright, I think they can't detect us on scanners."

"Yes, but if you fly any closer they may not need scanners to know we're here." Yularen responded, getting a nod from Jack.

"Relax admiral, you wanted to come on this ride." Anakin commented, getting a small chuckle from Jack.

"There's nothing to worry about sir, I doubt they'll get any idea we're here." He spoke up, keeping an eye on the sensors they had. "I've run the chances and I think we have a good percentage of going completely unnoticed."

At that very moment, the sensors projected several bombers with fighters escorting them approaching. "Um… I don't mean to of spoken too soon, but we it looks like we may have some company. They're getting closer by the second."

"What's our defenses look like?" Anakin asked.

"I read through the schematics and was given a quick course on everything." Jack responded as he started tapping across the controls. "We have torpedoes and anti-fighter cannons. But once we do we'll be out of cloaking."

"Yeah, and if they didn't know where we were that'd give our position away pretty quickly."

"Yep."

"Have they detected us?" Yularen asked, causing Jack to check the monitors.

"I couldn't say. There's no sign that they're focused solely on us, but there's no doubt they're heading in our direction."

"If we're going on the offensive we must do it soon."

"No pressure." Jack muttered as he kept his hands on the controls, ready to act on a moments notice. He wasn't always certain on how naval battles could go, but he knew that if he couldn't plan it, he'd use his instincts.

"Stay cloaked, power everything else down. Let it drift." Anakin ordered. In a matter of seconds, the clones had shut down everything besides the sensors and life-support, leaving them dead in space as they began to drift.

"They're getting closer." Jack spoke. "1,000 away. 500."

"They're going to hit us."

The next couple of seconds were silent, everyone looking up as they heard the droid ships approach. Almost immediately the fighters passed, causing the ship to rock a bit.

"They didn't notice us. They don't know we're here yet." Anakin announced.

"They're heading towards Bail Organa and the command center. They're going to bomb it." Jack's eyes widened as he saw the bombers' path. There was nothing they could do as the bombers left their sight, likely hitting their target or close and damaging the headquarters.

"No!"

"Stay calm Jack." Anakin ordered, getting the boy to silence himself. "We don't know if they got the headquarters, just stay focused and we'll be able to get their quicker."

"Right." Jack responded as he focused back on his console. It was the one problem he had with flying in a ship. If someone was in a situation, getting to it was limited by the ship's speed and processing time. As advanced as the ship is, it's still a stealth ship, not meant for fast flight or sudden movement.

"Anakin." A small hologram of Obi-Wan then appeared between the two, getting their attention. "I've just spoken to the senator. They're in dire need of our help. Continue with your mission to the planet's surface, I will engage Trench's fleet with the ships I already have."

"General Kenobi, with all due respect you do not have the resources to engage Trench openly." Admiral Yularen responded. "He wants you to attack, we'll be walking into a trap."

"He wouldn't of sent ships after the senator unless he wanted to get our attention." Jack added. "Sir, this is all just a bait tactic. He didn't do it before we showed up and he does it just awhile after we retreated? Even someone who has no position commanding a ship like me can see just how clear of a trap this is."

"They're right master." Anakin concluded. "You won't stand a chance."

"Anakin, I have enough problems without you becoming one of them." Obi-Wan spoke. "Get those supplies to the refugee camp, I'll worry about Trench. Just stay on course-"

"Obi-Wan, I can't just let you go into a battle with suicidal odds like that." Jack interrupted as he turned his head back to Admiral Yularen. "Prep torpedo tubes 1 through 4. I need a fix on Trench's command ship if this will work."

"Private?" Yularen asked, more confused than anything else. A new soldier, one fresh off of training had just given orders to a superior without a thought? Even disobeying a Jedi Master?

"Sorry for giving orders Yularen, but when a ship is on voyage in the middle of a whole enemy fleet, it's pilots take control." Jack responded as he turned back to the Separatist fleet, his eyes narrowing in determination. "Trench wants to try and draw us out? Well he'll get what he wants, just not the way expected."

Anakin smirked at the boy's conviction, turning to Yularen before the admiral could comment. "Well, you heard the kid."

"What are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned between the two.

"We need to destroy Trench, and this ship has the best chance of doing it."

"I want those supplies on the planet's surface now." Obi-Wan ordered.

"Don't worry, I'm on it." Anakin then turned off the comms just before Obi-Wan could speak, cutting the talk short. "That was pretty gutsy kid, disobeying orders on your first mission."

"Please, ship battles don't count for a mission to me." Jack responded as the loading of the torpedoes confirmation was set on his screen. "And with Obi-Wan, I just would prefer that we don't lose a Jedi. I'm willing to face court-martial if that ends up the case."

Anakin smirked at Jack. "There's hope for you yet kid." He then activated the comm and repeated the order for execution. "Prep torpedoes 1 through 4, set the fix on Trench's command ship."

"You do realize that our torpedoes may not be enough." Yularen spoke.

"All I want is for Trench to think of us instead of the people on the planet below." Anakin responded. "It's time to introduce ourselves."

Jack took a calming breath as the clones worked on all of the final preparations. He was willing to go through with this, but setting up a stealth ship against a cruiser, a fleet of cruisers, is near suicide. And as much as he loves flying a ship, he prefers to have his feet on ground when entering such a situation. At least then he's got a chance of not blowing up and dying before he even realizes it.

"Ready torpedoes." Anakin said. "Lock on the primary target." With one final calming breath, Jack followed through as the Jedi gave the next order. "Disable cloaking device."

In the next couple of seconds, the cloak shut down, revealing themselves to the fleet of Separatist fleet. Jack looked at the targeting system, making sure everything was set before ordering. "Fire." Upon his order, the clones released the four loaded torpedoes without hesitation, firing them with accuracy. The fast moving torpedoes took little time before reaching Trench's ship, aiming right at the bridge.

Just before it hit however, the shields came up and protected the arachnid admiral. Jack clicked his tongue in irritation, but knew deep down that it would have been too easy if Trench didn't do something like that and was defeated.

"Well that did little good." Yularen said to Anakin.

"Recloaking in 9, 8." Jack started the process as Trench's ship aimed at them, a pair of cannons prepping to fire. "7, 6, 5, 4." As he did, the cannons fired, two heat seeking missiles being launched at the stealth ship.

"Jack, prep the flares." Anakin ordered, and the boy did so as he continued to count down.

"It's too late!"

"Launching flares." Jack responded as he hit the switch, launching the four heat flares to take the missiles track off of them. "Engaging cloak." As the cloak activated, Anakin took control and turned the ship away, attempting to get as much distance from the imminent explosion as possible. When the missiles hit, they felt little more than a small shockwave, reliving most of the crew.

Jack however, narrowed his eyes under his helmet as he saw the smaller laser cannons change position. His response came up before the hail of lasers began to rain down on them. "Incoming!"

"I see it!" Anakin responded as he began to maneuver through the barrage of laser fire. Jack stared in amazement as the Jedi managed to easily make his way through the storm of fire, while at the same time approaching the source at high speeds.

Jack was, by no means, a bad pilot. His creativity and adaptability was rivaled by few in the past and likely will be equally so in the future. But compared to Anakin? He felt as if he was simply a beginner. There was no way he could've managed to move through the fire they went through, not in this size of a ship anyways. It made him realize just why Anakin was probably the favorite Jedi throughout the Republic.

It was only a few seconds, but to most of the crew it felt like hours before the laser fire stopped. All of the clones, even jack, sighed and slumped in their seats as their adrenaline wore off.

"Now that they know we're here, what's your plan?" Yularen asked the two pilots, getting a groan from Jack.

"I got nothing. Besides, most of my plans get me shot or screwed, so I'm gonna be a follower from here." Anakin smirked at the boy's response before answering Yularen.

"I'll think of something admiral."

"Please don't make me think of a plan Anakin."

"In the meantime, I've got Trench right where I want him." Anakin continued, rolling his eyes at Jack's interruption. "Thinking about us."

"General." Sparkplug said as he ran up next to Yularen. "There's a transmission on an open frequency. It's the enemy." That got Jack's attention, getting him to sit straight up.

"Put it through." Anakin ordered, and in a few seconds the arachnid admiral's hologram formed. Anakin actually appeared to cringe slightly as he saw Trench's appearance. "Hello ugly."

"I am admiral Trench." Trench introduced before his natural clicking of his teeth, getting Jack to roll his eyes under his helmet. "If you are listening, JEDI, then you have made a bold move. And a deadly mistake. I appreciate your decision to face me, ship to ship. To play this little game."

And that's when Jack fully understood what was going to happen from here on out. Trench will likely try to draw them out again, and attempt to figure out their patterns. The game of a hunt. A game of cat and mouse.

"It has been so long since I've had a worthy opponent." Trench continued. "You have an impressive new vessel, yes. But I have dealt with its kind before. Your technology will not save you. And your friends on the planet will parish as a result of your failure."

_'He doesn't shut up.'_ Jack thought as, to his 'utter' shock, Trench spoke further.

"The people of Christophsis and her resources, shall join the Separatist Alliance." He then clicked before adding on. Turn back now and retreat while you can. Or I am, your, DOOM." The communication then cut, leaving the crew to themselves.

"He said he's dealt with this kind of ship before." Yularen commented, seeming confused.

"How though?" Anakin asked.

"Because this isn't the first camouflage stealth ship." Jack spoke up, getting their attention. "I've read just about every battle Trench has been in, even the parts I wasn't supposed to. There are several battles in his past where cloaked ships have been involved. He won those battles with cutthroat efficiency. Even more than his regular battles."

"How did he even find them?"

"Tracking torpedoes." Jack answered. "Whether they were cloaked or not, he'd find a way to hit them. Usually by a process of trial and error, following their movements until a mistake is made. Like a cat chasing a mouse."

"So then he has a way to find us." Yularen concluded.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't say for sure." Jack responded. "Most of the ships he went up against were cruiser-class frigates. He hasn't ran into any cloaked ships as small as ours, so there might be our advantage."

"If he hasn't encountered a ship this small, then he must be tracking the magnetic signature." Anakin brought up. "Jack, send Obi-Wan a message to hold off the attack until we've dealt with Trench. Yularen, prepare to disengage the cloaking and fire."

"Sending the communications now."

"Battle stations!"

It wasn't long after that the clones all confirmed their assignments' completions. Jack went through one final check before looking at Yularen, nodding once to give the clear.

"We're all ready general."

"Fire!"

Soon after, the cloaking was disengaged again as four more torpedoes were fired. The crew then was fast to move, preparing the cloaking much faster than the last time. "We're cloaking in five." Jack reported as the torpedoes moved at high speeds, the ship vanishing from sight.

The torpedoes then hit, doing nothing to the shields of the Separatist cruiser. "Alright, hopefully we'll be able to draw him out soon."

Upon Jack's words, the cruiser's shields lower, and four torpedoes were launched, heading straight for the stealth ship.

"General, I really hope you know what you're doing." Yularen said, getting a smirk from Anakin.

"So do I admiral." As the Torpedoes, Anakin quickly turned the ship around, getting the seekers to follow as he continued through the turn, taking a U-shape pattern as they then headed towards Trench's ship.

"General, cloaking is active, but they're following our magnetic signature." Sparkplug reported, getting a smirk from both pilots.

"Hook, line and sinker." Jack spoke as they moved at the ship's top speeds, just staying ahead of the torpedoes.

"Deactivate the cloaking, forward all power to the engines." Anakin ordered, getting swift responses from the clones as they followed through. The ship soon reappeared as the speed picked up further. The missiles were hot on their trail and Trench's ship was coming up quickly.

"Hold on to your helmets!" Jack said through the comm as they began to pull up, the bottom of the ship just grinding on the cruiser's hull, just past the command bridge. Once they past the ship, the torpedoes had recalibrated and locked on to a new magnetic signature to follow.

Trench's bridge.

With the shields still recharging, Trench had no way of protecting himself and was powerless to stop the torpedoes from decimating the bridge. With the bridge destroyed, several more systems throughout the ship would go off, causing a chain reaction that completely destroyed the once proud cruiser.

And now that the main threat was done, the stealth ship was making its way to Christophsis, with the clone crew cheering as they succeeded in taking out the arachnid admiral.

"Take that you ugly mugged freak!" jack cheered as his excitement grew. His first real space battle and they took out one of the most infamous admirals in history. He then sat back down, letting out a breath of relief as he looked at Anakin. "I'll tell ya, if we keep getting missions like this, I will never have a regret in joining this army."

"Well, trouble always follows us, so you won't have much trouble with that." Anakin responded with a smile, finding the boy's enthusiasm entertaining. "Just be careful where you disobey orders."

"I'm not disobeying them if I'm following you disobey them."

"Hmph, fair enough."

A few minutes later, Jack opened up comms to Obi-Wan's ship, getting the Jedi Master on hologram. "Obi-Wan, we've taken care of Trench and are on our way for the relief of Christophsis."

Obi-Wan sighed at this, but his voice was of relief. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but good work Anakin. We're beginning our attack on the Separatist fleet."

"Have fun sir." Jack responded, getting a look from the Jedi.

"Jack, please don't pick up habits from Anakin. Dealing with one of him is bad enough, I don't need a second one to have to look after."

"Hey, I pick up all sorts of habits." Jack shrugged. "Let's just hope I actually learn something good from Anakin aside from how to disobey orders and get away with it."

"Hey." Anakin protested, getting a chuckle from Obi-Wan and Jack.

"Whatever the case, just be careful. Anakin is… special in how things are handled with him. Try to avoid making disobedience a common issue."

"Understood Obi-Wan." With the final words spoken, the communication cut and the crew was free to land on Christophsis. Once close enough to the Republic outpost, they found an open enough area and landed, seeing as clones and natives both coming to help with off loading the supplies.

Jack stood up from his seat and started to head to the cargo hold, adding his assistance to the offloading of the supplies. Grabbing a single crate, he picked it up with mild effort and began to walk down the ship's now extended ramp. He looked around in wonder as he saw the unique look of the planet's surface and buildings, but frowned as he saw all the rubble of once great buildings.

"The one downside of war." He sighed as he took the supplies to the outpost, nodding as a clone opened the door for him. Since it was his first time in the base, he had to follow the crowd to find where the supplies went, and was lucky that everything was set for them.

He spent the rest of the day offloading supplies and setting everything up, his adrenaline wearing off as he finished setting the last of the supplies out for final preparations.

He and his squad would have their own quarters, but until the next shipment of troops came in he'd have to wait for them to show up.

So for the next three days, he would rest in the vacant room with nothing but the sound of his own breathing to keep him occupied. Most of his assignments currently were simply perimeter sweeping, checking if there was any droids attempting a reconnaissance on their fortifications.

And when he was off duty, he was helping make sure all of the supply crates' contents would get to the right place. It was a slow three days, certainly not the kind of assignments he signed up for, but he knew that every one might now be the big battle he trained for. And even then, he would want his squad there to back him up.

It was weird to him, being the only one assigned to the mission with Anakin. But he and the squad knew why. He was the only one trained in effective space travel. None of them had the training or experience to keep everything done like Jack had. Still, it was lonely to stay in his room when he had nothing to do.

It wasn't any better since most of the clones don't know just what Jack can do. It's basically the same treatment he had got back on Kamino. With only a single mission under his belt, it's not likely he'll be recognized until he's made it far enough into the war.

And until then, he'll just have to deal with the constant doubt that comes with not being a clone. All he had to do was show them what he could do. And once he does, then they'll see.

"They'll all see."

* * *

**(A/N): I'm just going to come and say that I felt that this was my weakest chapter that I had made of the story. I just wasn't a fan of Cat and Mouse but figured that it should at least be included. And I can at least say I feel that the story will be much better as it goes on.**


	4. Betrayal of a Brother

"Alright, the last one has been set general." Blitz said as he was crouched next to one of the several cannon placements set on the floor. Being the heavy expert, Blitz was assigned to set up the turrets for the ambush that was about to start.

The squad had only gotten on Christophsis the day before the assignment was set, and there was mixed feelings on having the unofficial leader being on the other side of the ambush points set up among two tall buildings. Jack of course voiced his opinion, offering to go with him for the set up, but was denied and with the rest of his squad was placed with Anakin and another squad among the 501st.

Obi-Wan gave a small nod in response to the clone before activating his communicator, turning to the tower across from theirs. "Anakin, how are you doing over there?"

"We're all set." Anakin answered as he turned to the clones, with Deadshot on his stomach, a true sniper in his hands while Jack laid next to him with a zoom visor attachment on his helmet, acting as his spotter. "And I got some guys here who are anxious to get going."

"You ready for this Jack?" Tacs asked as he knelt next to the boy and Deadshot.

Jack let out a calming breath as he answered. "I've been cooped up in that base for almost a week without action. I will admit though I'm a little nervous on our first battle on the ground."

"What's to worry about?" Stiches asked as he fixed his rifle. "We're the ones who have the element of surprise, things should go rather smoothly."

"Don't expect it to be easy." Rex said as he turned to the squad, having heard their conversation. "You've dealt with simulations, not live Clankers. You had done well for your training, but those serve as nothing more than a warm up compared to the real thing. You'll see the field is much different then that."

"Yes sir." The squad responded.

As they then got ready for the battle to start, Jack and Deadshot could see the droid forces approach. Jack whistled for a bit, seeing the rows upon rows of droids being followed by several of their tanks. He's studied what the tanks can do, but seeing that they were closing in and knowing he may have to worry about a tank blast hitting them put him on edge.

"Report?" Anakin asked.

"The droids are moving as planned." Jack answered. "They'll be within the cannons' range in another minute or two. About a battalion in strength along with a few tanks."

"Thank you."

"Wait!" Jack shouted as Deadshot recoiled back from his sniper, almost in confusion before looking back into it. "The droids, they're splitting up."

"What?" Rex questioned as the whole room turned to the two lookouts.

"They're forming into three groups." Deadshot responded as his scope zoomed in, seeing the droid battalion split up as they marched. "One is following their intended path forward, while two are marching over to our and General Kenobi's positions."

"This isn't right." Anakin said as he looked down to the droid forces.

"Look!" One of the clones said as he pointed to Obi-Wan's position. There was blaster fire going on, leading to Jack to realize what's happening. They're positions have been compromised.

The droids knew what they were planning.

"Obi-Wan, what's going on over there?" Anakin questioned through his communicator.

"We're cut off." Obi-Wan answered, the comm loud enough for the whole room to hear. "The droids are on to us."

"We got clankers heading in our building." Deadshot added. "We better do something fast if we want to avoid getting overran."

"Gunship come in, we need an evac on the South Tower." Anakin ordered to the patrolling gunship, getting a confirmation from the pilot.

"Guess that's the change." Deadshot said as he and Jack got up.

"South Tower? We're in the North." Rex responded.

"Not for long." With the ignition of his lightsaber, Jack saw first hand how easily the weapon could cut through even the reinforced glass of Christophsis' buildings. Two swift cuts and a push with the Force was all that was needed to completely blow away the glass. "Rex, fire your cables."

The spectacle was short lived, as Rex gave the order for several clones to fire grapple cables across the way, all of which connected to just above the window to Obi-Wan's position.

"Oh blast." Stiches muttered as he put together was going to happen.

Without even a moment's hesitation, Anakin and Rex used a pair of rifles to start sliding across the cables. Jack soon followed, with Tacs and the rest of the clones just behind them.

Jack did his best to avoid looking down, instead focusing on Rex's back as the long slide went underway. He wasn't scared of heights, but the fall would be a long and painful one should he lose his grip. He just had to focus on Rex at his front and Tacs at his back and everything would go fine.

"Blast them!" A droid ordered, and in response the battalion below began to send a storm of plasma up to them.

Jack almost let go the moment a shot went right past his face. Had that of been shot a second sooner, he'd have half a circle cut right up his face. Not a pleasant way to go at all. He had sighed in relief as he was lucky, having to be grateful of the droids' horrible aim.

He then flinched as a shot scrapped the back of his armor, soon after being followed by a shout of horror from behind him. His eyes widened in horrible shock, being able to tell based on the scream now where the trooper was a moment ago. Just a foot or two right behind him.

"TACS!"

"Eyes forward kid!" Rex yelled, keeping Jack from changing his focus to the following clone.

It pained Jack, but he knew better than to do anything to try and help Tacs. No one aside from a Jedi could survive a fall this high onto solid ground. His brother in arms is dead, and it wasn't a pleasant way to go out either.

Keeping focused, he saw Anakin kick through the glass and ignited his lightsaber once more, cutting up three droids in seconds. Rex was the next one in, followed by Jack. As the others would pile in, Jack and Rex were quick to follow the Jedi Knight, the boy having a glare under his helmet.

As they approached the door to Obi-Wan's position, Jack and Rex fired at the droids, taking them down and clearing the way in. The three then made it into the room, their whole squad taking position and firing at the opposing droids. Jack would take cover to their right, across the room from Blitz, who was distinguished by the minigun he had.

"This way is clear." Anakin said as he stood next to Obi-Wan, the two Jedi blocking the blaster bolts that came at them.

"How did you get here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I improvised."

Despite the added firepower, the droids were slowly making their way closer to the group. Seeing this, Obi-Wan used the Force to lift up one of the set cannons and threw it, knocking a majority of the droids back and giving them some room to operate.

They then began to retreat, with Jack and Blitz covering their backs as they moved. Once they were beyond the droid's vision, they all filled the elevator closest to them, setting it to go for the roof.

Jack took the small amount of time they had to reflect what had happened just now. In the span of possibly a minute, he had zip-lined across two tall buildings, lost someone he considered a brother and survived a small firefight in close quarters. It all happened so fast and yet it was just his first mission.

_'This... this is what war is like…'_ He sighed as he heard the door begin to open. He was quick to getting ready, following everyone as they ran out to the pickup position.

However, the gunship had yet to reach them, leaving them open on the roof. "Now what?" Anakin asked.

Jack's body then turned as he heard the rest of the elevators open, droids leaving them. The droids were quick to fire, forcing the clones to all enter cover while Obi-Wan and Anakin were set on taking the fight to them. Jack would take cover next to Stiches and Deadshot, all firing to cover the Jedi while Blitz fired into the group of droids, taking them down one at a time.

As the gunship began to approach, the elevator they came up on opened once more. With it, a Tactical droid exited, along with over a dozen droids following it. Jack growled under his breath as his eyes focused on the leading droid. A tactical droid was slightly more advance, not much stronger or more accurate then a regular battle droid, but could hold a lot more data.

Data to process attacks and plans. Jack's eyes then narrowed as the gunship landed behind them, the clones slowly piling into it as the droids advanced. The tactical droid followed in response, closing in on Jack's cover.

"Cover me!" Jack said as he jumped over the cover, surprising the droid as he slammed the butt of his gun right into its head. Once it was stunned, he threw the gun at a following battle droid before gripping the tactical droid's head. With a single, strong pull, he ripped the head off its body and kicked the machine away.

He then retreated back alongside Deadshot and Stiches, the three of them getting on the gunship just as Blitz did. The two Jedi were the last ones on board, and with everyone set the gunship took off away, its strong hull easily brushing off the blaster fire the droids fired.

"Rex." Jack spoke up, getting the captain's attention. "I thought we might need a parting gift after that whole mess."

"Good move kid, this may give us some answers." Rex said as he took the head away from Jack, who looked down.

"Hey, you okay?" Deadshot asked as he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder.

The boy shook his head in response. "No, I don't think I am."

"It isn't easy, but it's going to happen with how things are." Stiches said, the squad having their own small spot at the corner of the gunship. "Deaths just happen, especially if you're a clone."

Jack turned away, his head down as he responded. "That doesn't make it easier."

"It's okay to remember kid." Blitz spoke, giving his two credits in as he placed his rotary canon down. "Just don't let the emotional bagged keep you down. If I were to guess, I'd say there's a chance none of may see the end of this war."

"Then we'll just have to beat every Clanker we come across." Jack said, getting smirks from the clones.

"That's the spirit kid."

* * *

"First mission and that's what happens." Jack sighs as he and the rest of his squad and another were making their way to their barracks. Two hours after the mission, the two were ordered back their shared barracks by Rex and Cody. No info on why, just that they were needed right away.

"Still a little shaken huh kid?" Jester asked.

"More just upset over the outcome." Jack responded. "There's still something I have to do, hopefully I can do that once this whole mess is over with."

"Must be important." Blitz commented, elbowing Jack's arm. "Better not cause too much trouble in the future.

"Don't worry, I'm not that dumb."

Once they were close to their barracks, they could hear Slick, their platoon sergeant. "No, no way. My guys are the best. No way are they capable of something like this."

"Something like what?" Chopper asked as the group of eight entered, seeing Slick talking to Rex and Cody. Something Jack picked up quickly during Kamino was how to tell out a clone, even if all their voices were the same. It was something he was grateful for, saved the trouble of mixing them up.

"You called them here?" Slick asked as he turned to the commanding officers.

"Of course we did." Rex responded. "We're getting to the bottom of this." That didn't sound too good to Jack.

"Look, let me have a few minutes with them first." Slick whispered. "They trust each other, and some are still warming up to Jack. If they hear that one of them betrayed us…"

"I don't think that will be necessary." Cody said as he walked up to the squads. "You're men are tough right?" Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Take a seat gentlemen."

The clones and Jack all then sat in their own places, with Jack sitting down in front of one of the crates. "We have a turncoat in our midst, and we think it's one of you." Jack's eyes then widened as he flinched. He assumed that all of the clones would turn to him instantly, thinking him as the most likely candidate. He did see them look at him, but they all seemed to turn to one another as well. Good, they didn't just throw him under the bus in suspicion.

The first of the group that Cody and Rex interrogated was Jester, who seemed extremely nervous over this. "I-I don't know, I was doing the things I always do after a mission."

"Things like what?" Rex asked as Jester clasped his hands together.

"I'm sorry sir, I'm just a little nervous. You're my CO."

"The way I see it, you tell the truth and you got nothing to be nervous about."

"Jester is telling the truth." Sketch, one of Jester's squad mates spoke up, defending him. "Cleans his weapon after every mission. First thing, every time. Kinda obsessed that way."

"Is that right?" Cody asked. "You were cleaning your weapon?"

"Yes sir." Jester responded.

"Go on the computer while you were at it?"

"No sir, I didn't even fire it up. You can check."

Rex and Cody looked at each other, seeming on the fence over something before continuing. "Show me your weapon."

Jester in turn retrieved the DC-15S rifle and gave it to the commander, who without even having to look close could see how clean it was. "Yep, freshly scrubbed."

"Rags in the corner." Jester added as Cody handed his weapon back.

"Good man." Cody then turned to Punch for the next questioning. "You, you were cleaning your weapon too?"

"N-no, I was hungry. I went back to the mess." Punch answered.

"Right away?" Rex questioned as he held his hands behind his back.

"Oh yeah."

"Anyone with you?"

"Sketch and Stiches sir."

"We got to the mess at the same time, got our grub and sat together." Sketch added on, getting a nod from Stiches.

"Anyone else in the mess that can confirm that?"

"I can sir." Blitz spoke up, having the attention shifted to him. "After the mission ended, I stayed in the mess for most of the time. Volunteered to help man it for the next few hours until another mission came up. Those three all came in at the same time, I can say that for certain."

"Would the staff support that claim?" Cody spoke up, getting a nod in response.

"Hut was right next to me the whole time. He'll back me up if you ask him anything."

"Oh we will."

"Captain, please just give me a moment with them." Slick said as the two officers moved on to Gus.

"It's okay sir, I've got nothing to hide." Gus interrupted, motioning to the bandage wrappings around his left bicep. "I was in the infirmary. Got banged up pretty good by one of those Clankers. Med droid was patching me up." Cody would then inspect the bandaging for a bit, leading Gus to add more. "Doc's got all the records if you want to check."

Cody then released Gus' arm and nodded, leading the two over to Jack. "So kid, what were you doing once you got back?"

"I went out of the base for a bit, got the authorization and everything." Jack answered, getting suspicion looks from the whole room.

"And what exactly was the reason for going out of the base just like that? Shouldn't you of gotten checked up?" Rex asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were grazed by a shot during our entry into the south tower."

"The shot didn't make it all the way through my armor. The angle was off just enough to make it go through the thickest part on our backs. I got lucky."

"But why wouldn't you get checked? The shot would've gotten through and cause quite the mess for you."

"If it got through I would be dead." Jack then sighed as he saw where this was going. "I did get a nasty bruise from the impact though. I asked Deadshot to check it before I left, he can confirm it."

"Is that true? He went to you for it?" Cody asked, turning to the sniper of the platoon.

"Yeah, said it wasn't bad enough to bother the medics with. He just wanted to make sure that it wasn't anything too serious that was numbed by his adrenaline." Deadshot answered, to which the officers turned back to Jack.

"Let's see the bruise."

Jack nodded instantly and removed his chest and back armor, leaving him in the regulations clothes. He then turned his back to the group and pulled his shirt up, revealing a large bruise that spanned across his shoulders, the source seeming just between the two pads of bones. "Once Deadshot confirmed it was a bruise, I left the base to go clear my head. Tacs died just behind me for the same shot, he just couldn't keep his grip after the impact. I… wanted to set something up for him."

"You set something up for him?" Cody asked while Rex inspected the wound, testing a prod or two on the supposed injury, getting flinches of pain from the boy.

"Yeah, I made a small tombstone for him." Jack answered as Rex backed away, nodding in conformation that the wound was real. "It isn't much, just some rubble that was able to stand on it's own." He added as he turned and pulled his shirt back down. "I used my knife to mark his name and CT number on it. Haven't been able to sharpen it yet."

"Can we see it?"

Jack didn't even hesitate as he reached to his leg and pulled the knife out of it's sheathe just on the side of his shin. He flipped it to hold the blade portion of it and handed to Cody, who saw the small chips on the tip and upper edge of the blade, like someone was cutting into something tougher than the knife was meant to.

"Still has the nicks and everything." Cody commented before handing the knife back to Jack, who holstered it immediately. "Good job kid."

"Could've said that before sending me on a panic attack Cody." Jack chuckled, getting an elbow to the side from Blitz, who was giving him the 'you call them sir' look.

"The officers then moved on to the last of the group, a clone named Chopper. "So, Chopper ol' boy, what's your alibi?"

"I was in the mess hall."

"No you weren't." Sketch said as he got up, getting everyone's attention and raising their suspicion up to a whole new level. "I-I mean, you-"

"If you know something kid you should speak up." Cody said to Sketch.

"Chopper came in… a lot later, after everyone else."

"Where were you before you entered the mess Chopper?" Rex asked, his gaze hardening.

"No where, walking around."

"Son, you know we'll need a better answer then that."

Chopper sighed, almost as if caught red handed before speaking. "I was hiding, at the south exit. Didn't want anyone seeing me string these together." Reaching behind his back, Chopper pulled out a ring of different battle droid fingers.

"Battle droid fingers." Rex spoke, his tone harsh as it was forbidden to take any pieces of a droid for mere trophies.

The scarred clone sighed once more as he leaned back on his bed, looking at the droid fingers. "I just, I just wanted something back. I guess I felt like… like they owed me."

"I always knew there was something deficient about you." Gus said as the clones in the room all stood, their gazes set on Chopper.

Jack was the only one in the room sitting, his fist slightly clenched at the though of Chopper being the traitor. The same one who had gotten Tacs killed. The droids might have done the deed, but the one who betrayed them is just as guilty as the droid that pulled the trigger.

At the accusation, Chopper turned his back to the group, in both shame and annoyance.

"This isn't good Chopper." Slick said as he walked up to his subordinate. "Lying about where you were, taking forbidden items from a battlefield. I know, I put up with the attitude because you have skill. But if you can break these rules, your whole character is in question here."

That seemed to drop the full weight of the situation on Chopper, as he stood up as he began to speak louder. "What? No, hang on! I'm no spy!"

"Chopper we're all brothers. But how can we trust a single thing you say now?" Slick asked as Jack released his tightening fist.

The tone in Chopper's voice, the desperation of the sudden understanding of everyone's thoughts on him. He felt alone and cornered, different among all of his brothers. A feeling Jack has felt since the moment he started his training on Kamino.

"I'm telling you, I didn't do it!"

"I believe him." Jack said, getting the whole room's attention.

"Jack, are you sure?" Blitz asked, using his name for the first time, signaling the seriousness of the situation.

"Yeah, I'm certain." Jack responded, Chopper noticeably relaxing a bit. "Let's just say I have a knack for telling when someone is lying or telling the truth. I don't fully understand it, but I have never been wrong with this kind of stuff." He then stood up as he walked up to the group, putting his hand on Rex's shoulder. "Chopper broke the rules by taking those fingers, but I don't believe he would ever turn on the Republic."

"See, the kid believes me. I swear I-"

"It's okay." Slick interrupted as he put his hand on Chopper's shoulder. "I'll get you a proper investigation. You don't have to say anything till the Jedi come back and talk to you."

Rex and Cody's eyes narrowed while Jack's ears twitched slightly as he released Rex's shoulder. The twitch of his ear was his reflex when something doesn't feel right in the slightest. What did he mean by till the Jedi get back?

"Maybe you should talk sir, tell them where you were!" Chopper said as he shrugged Slick's hand off and turned to the sergeant, pointing accusingly at him. "I was at the south exit, remember? I saw you go in sir, I saw you."

"Chopper, I have been patient-" Slick started as he attempted to grab Chopper's hand, only for the clone to swat it away and continue.

"Everyone turned right, towards the barracks and mess. You turned left, toward the command center. Where were you going sir?"

"Obviously, the kid feels cornered." Slick said to the others.

"Sergeant, what did you mean till the Jedi get back?" Cody asked as the room focused solely on Slick, surrounding him as they realized the implication in his comment. "How did you know the Jedi were gone?"

"I really wish you hadn't noticed that sir." Slick said under his breath. In the next moment, Slick punched Cody across the face, knocking him back into Rex, who managed to catch him. He then elbowed Chopper in the jaw, stunning him as he jump rolled over the beds, right to the door.

"It was Slick?" Rex said in half shock, the whole room stunned aside from him and Cody. "Slick's the traitor?" The two officers then began to pursue the turncoat, leaving the rest of the squad reeling in shock.

One of them however, was clenching his fist in anger, his face twisted in pure rage as he looked at the door. Jack's anger has reached a boiling point, and in such he took off, pushing past the clones and out the door, sprinting as fast as he could to keep up with the running clones.

It wasn't long before he caught up to the officers, surprising them at his quick recovery and pursuit. "Kid?"

"We can't let him escape!" Jack yelled as he began to move ahead, showing speed that the clones never thought the kid would possess at his age. The speed wasn't enough to catch up to Slick, but it was putting him ahead of the troopers behind him, a feat in its own right.

It was unfortunately not enough to stay close enough to the traitor, as when they turned the corner he was gone. "Blast!" Jack shouted as he punched the wall, leaving a small dent on it.

"Kid, relax. He couldn't of gotten far." Rex said as they caught up. "We'll find him, he's likely going to try and get out of here."

"So the airfields then. Got it." Jack was about to start running, but was stopped when Cody grabbed his arm. "What?"

"Take it slow kid. We need to get gear to be able to follow him. If you're going to be chasing him with us, you follow our rules, got it?" Jack grunted but showed no signs of resisting, prompting Cody to let him go.

"Good, now let's get set." Hastily getting wrist radars placed and DC-15S rifles, the clones and boy were out in the airfield in less then ten minutes, spread apart by several meters to best track the traitor.

It didn't take long before something came up on Rex's radar. "I've got someone by the gunships."

"That's our Slick." Cody responded as the three began to move towards the ships through the rows of AT-TEs. "It's the fastest way out, but it won't be fast enough to get away."

"You've got no place to run now you piece of rankweed!" Jack yelled as they rounded the way to Slick's tracker. But once he would be in view, they saw no one at the location. All they saw, was Slick's belt, the self-destruct command having been set.

"Move, move!" Rex ordered and the trio began to run towards the AT-TEs, only to stop when they all started to detonate as well. With no options left, they all dived to the ground, bracing themselves as dozens of explosions went off around them.

Looking up, they could see the total carnage of everything. Most of their gunships and AT-TEs were destroyed, and those that remained were beyond repair, having chunks of shrapnel lodged across them from the explosions. Even their weapons depot was destroyed.

"He knew where we'd look." Rex concluded as they began to stand up. "He's not trying to escape. He knows all our moves before we even make them."

"Blast!" Jack yelled as he slammed his fist on the ground. "How can we even get him if he's able to predict us like that!?"

"Sir." A clone spoke up, approaching the three. "Slick ran into the command center."

"Jack, stay with them and guard the perimeter. No one moves without us knowing." Cody ordered.

"But sir!"

"Follow your orders!"

Jack was left slack jawed, completely surprised at the fact he was left to stay. It was aggravating to no end, was it that they didn't trust him? Or did they honestly think they could take care of Slick on their own.

He hated it, but when he saw the chaos and damage from the explosions he relented and followed through with coordinating the clones, setting them up in separate positions all around the area. It took time, but every nook and edge was completely guarded, all except for the way to the command center. It had only been a few minutes, but Jack knew that it would have taken them that long to reach the full way, especially since Slick likely would make it that the doors would close behind him to buy time.

"Kid, where do you want us?" The last batch of clones, a pair of Shinies, new troops just like him, asked as they stood at the ready, 15A blaster rifles in their hands.

Jack looked down for a second, weighing potential options in his head. He could stay with the guards set up and guarantee that Slick doesn't get out. Or he could move out, and see if Rex and Cody need his help. But if he does, he risks getting into serious trouble for disobeying orders. But at the same time, there's no certainty of what will happen. Rex and Cody were good, but Slick is far better than what they expected.

"Kid?"

Settling his mind, Jack turned to the two and pointed to them with two fingers. "Guard the entrance that leads to the command center. Keep it closed until either I, the captain and commander, or the Jedi come through, clear!?"

"Understood!"

Jack then nodded and took off, following the hall of open doors towards the command center. Had it of been his first day here, he would have no clue as to where to go, with most of the halls looking identical. But he had time to learn, and now knows the layout of the base like the back of his hand.

It took about two minutes, but he had managed to make it to the command center. The door was closed, so he had to punch in the command, but before he did he could hear fighting on the other side. Along with the identical yet so different to him voices of clones.

"All of you just blindly following orders! And for what!?" He heard Slick shout, following the sounds of punches. "At least I get something out of all this suffering!"

Jack then began to put in the commands, kicking himself mentally as he had to wait for the process of it to go through.

"Yeah, I bet you sold your brothers out for some real shiny coins huh?" He heard Rex say along with struggling, likely holding Slick back. Jack clenched his teeth in irritation as the door was still processing, and felt shocked when he heard more strikes, along with a small crack and Rex's voice. "Gah!"

"Yes she offered me money, but she offered me something more important. Something you wouldn't understand. Freedom!"

The door then opened, getting the three clones attention as Jack jumped through the still opening door by diving through it. Rolling over his shoulder, the boy was quick to his feet as he reared his fist back. Before Slick could react, Jack slammed his fist against the side of the clone's face, stunning him long enough to rear his fist again. He then threw his fist and punched him just below his jaw, knocking the clone off his feet and onto his back.

Slick was fading in and out of consciousness, losing the battle and collapsing down. Across from him, panting from the exhaustion of the running and adrenaline, Jack let his arms fall to his side. "That… was for Tacs." He panted out as he kept his eyes on Slick, not fully believing the clone's condition.

"Kid?" Rex spoke up, getting Jack's attention. His eyes widened slightly and reached down to him, helping the captain up. "What are you doing here? We told you to stay back at the airfield."

"Sorry, I had to see this through." Jack answered, noticing Rex putting a bit more pressure on his left leg. "What happened to your leg?"

"Eh, he just got a lucky couple shot in, nothing major."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he almost broke it." Jack responded with a small smile. "Guess it was a good thing I showed up then?"

"We would have handled it." Cody said as he approached the two. "But we'll give you the benefit of the doubt, just this once. Clear?"

"Thank you, sir." Jack smiled, his guard lowering as he knew they wouldn't punish him. He could relax, he managed to get the justice needed, for Tacs and all of the other clones that were killed because of Slick's betrayal.

"Now, let's take him in." Rex said, the three turning to the downed clone, who seemed to be coming back to consciousness.

* * *

Jack took it upon himself to be the one to cuff Slick, setting his arms behind his back and picking him up to his feet. As he did, Slick's eyes were then focused, and he felt himself cuffed. "Come on, let's go." Jack ordered as he pushed Slick, forcing the clone to walk while he kept a firm hold on the clone's arms.

Cody then opened the door for him, and he marched him out. "So much for getting freedom then, huh traitor?"

Not long to exiting, Anakin and Obi-Wan both turned the corners, having returned from their mission. "Slick? It was you?" Seeing how they knew about a traitor, they were likely gone to go try and find out who the spy was.

"He gave us a bit of a chase sir." Rex reported.

"You couldn't be a greater disappointment." Anakin said as he crossed his arms. "How could you of done this to all your brothers?"

Slick gave a bittersweet chuckle before responding. "Rich coming from a Jedi. It's the Jedi who keep my brothers enslaved. We do your bidding, we serve at your whim. I just wanted something more."

"And to get it you would toss aside your brothers." Jack responded, getting Slick to turn back to him.

"I… I love my brothers. Something that you would never understand. I was striking a blow for all clones."

"If you loved your brothers like I do, you would never of put them at risk like this." Jack glared as he looked up to the clone. "The men that I now serve by are as much my brothers now as they are yours. I chose the same fate as all of you, to serve side by side to fight in this war. You think I don't understand, but I believe you're the one who can't understand it. You betrayed every single one of our brothers."

A pair of clones then approached the group, and Cody gave them a simple order. "Take him to lock up." They took Slick from Jack, and just as quietly as they came, they left.

"Were you able to salvage anything from the weapons depot?" Obi-Wan asked, getting a response from Jack.

"Slick made a complete mess of things. We hardly have anything left at this point. But we did manage to save the heavy cannons."

"That's good. Because there is about a thousand battle droids on their way here."

"The fight goes on gentlemen." Anakin said before the two Jedi turned around, heading to get everything set up for the incoming invasion.

Jack sighed as he knew they'd be fighting by the morning tomorrow. It was all part of being in a war. When in the middle of an active battlefield, there would be no breaks. Only more loss.

And there was nothing he could do about that.


	5. Losses and Gains

The Republic forces had barely gotten the time for sleep by the time the Separatist's first wave of droids came in force. The size of their army was large, likely two times the size of all the current forces that they had. And with the battle in space still going on, they had to make do with only the supplies and forces we had. And in comparison, their army was horribly unprepared thanks to Slick.

However, just as Jack informed, they were lucky that Slick hadn't destroyed all of their heavy supplies. It was thanks to their heavy artillery they managed to push the Separatists back the first time, but it wasn't without a cost. They had taken a considerable amount of casualties, their army losing a third of the troops they had.

With their numbers dropping, there was little choice but to send the few blockade-runner ships they had to get more troops and fresh supplies. It was a gamble, but they were currently all out of available options to turn to.

Unfortunately, the droids would make their second push only two hours later. It was sudden, but the moment it happened clones were moving to combat the menace that marched towards them.

"Go, go, go!"

Amongst the chaos, Jack was running down to the wall of rubble that was built after the first assault. Unlike his usual DC-15S, the boy was now carrying a 15A, using the superior range to hit the further droids and having the extended barrel over the wall to better shield himself from blaster fire.

The assault wasn't nearly as large as the first, but the massive numbers was still a threat to be dealt with. And with his squad separated from him, Jack had to rely that they were not among the troops getting shot left and right around him.

While Anakin took troops to ambush the approaching forces, Obi-Wan was with the defense force, coordinating the attack patterns of the defending troops. The Jedi's reflex's always managed to impress Jack, and seeing the General up in the front with the forces was a relieving sight. Better than them taking up the rear like most of the Separatist generals.

"Skywalker should have attacked by now!" Cody said as he stood by his Jedi general, who was deflecting bolts left and right.

"Don't worry, he knows the plan."

It wasn't long after that a squad of clones equipped with jetpacks and Anakin started top attack the Spider Walkers that took up the droids' flank. While the clones landed on the ground and fired at the one in the middle of the pack, Anakin jumped right on top of it.

With the second team now attacking, Obi-Wan gave the charge order. "Come on men!"

"You heard him!" A clone shouted as he stood up past the barricade and waved his arm forward. Jack was only just getting on the barricade when the troop was shot down, followed by several more. He hated how devastating just a single second in a battle could be, but pushed on past the barrier and began to charge alongside Cody and Obi-Wan, moving his head to dodge the occasional blaster bolt.

Going head to head with the droids was by far more devastating than taking the defensive route. While clones died one at a time behind the barricade, up close they seemed to drop two or three at a time. The droids dropped by far greater, but the fact of the matter is that they couldn't win this battle simply with attrition. They had to push the droids back before their numbers suffered, otherwise it would only be a matter of time before they were overrun.

Of course, that didn't stop Jack as he'd duck under a droid's blaster and light it up, emptying four rounds into it before firing on at the approaching lines of droids.

A sudden increase in fire around him caught Jack off guard, as soon three clones came running to aid him directly. "What gives kid? Not willing to wait for us?" Blitz said as he unloaded into the droid group closest, the grin he had clear in his voice.

"You should know better than to just run off like that. We're a team after all." Stiches, who seemed to grow a new responsible leaf after the loss of their squad brother Tacs, said.

"You did this in training and now on the live field. You'll be the death of us one day kid." Deadshot said as he'd be taking droids' heads off one by one, his precision truly showing in this large firefight.

It calmed and relieved Jack to know his squad was with him again, now able to fight clearly without the worry of his squad's condition. With the now controlled fire of them and all of the forces, the droids were now dropping at an even faster rate. And with Anakin's forces taking out the Spider Walkers and the artillery barraging the remainders, the droids were getting completely decimated.

The tides were finally back on their side, and it seemed they were going to win this battle just as they had the first. But soon, disaster struck for the clone squad that took up the front, as a grenade landed just a small distance in front of them. Jack was the first to see it, and in desperation he pushed Blitz behind him just as the explosive went off.

The explosion knocked them all back, with Jack suffering the most as a rock hurdled right into his chest, nearly hitting his throat. While the clones managed to get up, Jack was still on the ground, completely stunned from the rock hitting him.

"Kid!" Blitz shouted as Jack's ears rung, setting down a suppressive fire to protect him. "Stiches, Deadshot! Get Jack and up now and move!"

"I got him!" Deadshot responded as he got Jack's arm over his shoulder and lifted him up. "Come on, I got you kid."

"Get back to cover!" Stiches screamed as the droids started to push back, their numbers now starting to make a push on their side of the line.

"Gah!" Deadshot spat out as the back of his leg was shot, causing him and Jack to fall back to the ground.

"Dead… shot." Jack groaned as he attempted to clear his head, finding it difficult to know which way was which.

"Blast! Stiches, go back and-!" Before Blitz could finish, Stiches was shot directly in the head. The whole squad watched in horror as the clone's body fell to the ground, lifeless before he had even reached halfway. "Stiches!"

"No!" Jack screamed, his voice feeling as if it collapsed the moment he did. The pure shock from his squad mate's death had knocked the disorientation right out from him, and in moments he was reaching for a blaster.

"You pieces of scrap!" Blitz shouted as he mowed down the approaching droids. "You think you can just take out a member of my squad and get away with it! I'll send you all to the scrape pile!"

"Blitz, get back!" Deadshot warned as he got up, leaning against rubble to stabilize himself as he fired. "They're going to push you back!"

"I'll take you all down! I won't let you get away with thi-" In the seconds to follow, Blitz stopped dead on his word, his body jolted as a sudden feeling coursed through him. Deadshot and Jack could only stare in shock as their leader looked down to his chest, seeing a small, smoldering hole that had appeared on his chest over his heart.

With one last breath, Blitz fell forward, dropping his rotary blaster. As the clone's body hit the ground, the droids had begun to retreat, a sign of the victory they just had.

But to Jack, it was far from that. He had quickly ran to Blitz and dropped his blaster, sliding to him knees as he turned the clone over to his back. Taking his helmet off, Jack would attempt to shake the clone, trying desperately to keep him awake. "B-Blitzzz…" His voice wheezed, his whole throat feeling closed from the impact he received from the rock.

The clone coughed, signaling he was still alive, but from the glazed look in his eyes it was clear that wouldn't last long. "Kid… listen to me. You have to… to make it through this."

"Wai… Medi-ACK!" Jack coughed as he tried to scream, his chest squeezing on itself to keep him from doing so.

"Kid!" Blitz said louder, placing his hand on his shoulder to get his full attention. "Don't let this… war get you down. You're tough… we had to make sure of that." He said as he took heaving breaths. "Get out of here... take Deadshot and... live to fight another day."

Jack's eyes then widened as he heard the words. "You showed us... that not all of us have to be the same to be... brothers. Some of the others... already see that. Not all will… see you as one. So… get better… and show them why you're worth being… called… brother." With one last breath, Blitz's whole body went limp, the life now fully left from him.

Jack stared in complete horror as he did, having lost yet another brother from his squad. He couldn't stop himself from crying, nor did he want to. And as much as it hurt to think like this, but he knew he couldn't let it go for too long. It took Deadshot putting his hand on his shoulder to get him out of his depression, reminding him there was still a troop in his squad left.

It pained him more than anything, but he had to leave Stiches and Blitz's bodies behind to help get Deadshot back to the base. The sniper was still injured, with a hole clear through the leg that he was shot in. He needed the attention first above all else. He knew that others would collect the bodies while there was time, but it still hurt having to turn his back on the fallen bodies of his team.

* * *

The two would then get checked up in the small medical camp that was set up during the small relief from the first assault. With their limited medical supplies, Deadshot would have to deal with just wrappings around his injury and tough it out with walking. Jack was in a much better condition, having been told he's still combat ready, just with having his windpipe slightly closed from the rock's impact.

While he waited to be called for an assignment, Jack took his chest guard off and looked at the plating on it. Pulling his knife out, he began to scratch at the armor that would cover his heart. It was nothing detailed, just three tally marks that ran over it. Three marks to represent the three fallen brothers he's had to leave behind.

Once he was done, he set his armor again and put his knife away, sliding the blade in just as one of the field medics, a clone named Kix. "Jack, could I ask a favor of you?" Jack nodded to the clone that diagnosed him. "A ship is just coming in, if there's any medical supplies in it could you send it over here? We're beginning to run low on everything."

Jack understood and nodded again, standing up and heading over to the command center on the battlefield. It wouldn't be too far, and he could even see the ship starting to come in even. As it touched down, he saw that Anakin and Obi-Wan were already waiting with a group of clones, along with the astromech R2-D2.

The droid was a bit of a smart-alec to Jack, but he could honestly tell why they kept it around. And he would be lying if he said that the droid was useful. He also made a good listener, as Jack found himself surprised that he was talking to it when it found him making the small tombstone for Tacs.

As he walked up to the group, the shuttle's ramp dropped down. And the first person off of it came as a surprise not only to Jack, but to Obi-Wan and Anakin as well.

It was a Togruta girl, likely even younger than Jack. Her skin's main color was orange, and the montrals and lekku on her head had a stripped white and blue pattern to it. Her montrals on her head and lekku were hardly grown, the lekku only just reaching past her shoulders. It was the only sign the boy knew that she was young, a trait he learned while studying on Kamino.

The Togruta had gotten to the Jedi first, starting a conversation with them. Jack had assumed it was likely Obi-Wan's new Padawan, but was still surprised at the age of the girl. At his distance he would've normally been able to hear them, but since the explosion he's had a small ring in his ears. It was annoying, but he could at least hear when he was close enough.

"Maybe you could relay a signal through the cruiser that dropped me off." Jack heard the Padawan as he reached the group, having caught Obi-Wan's attention.

"Jack, you have something to report?" In response to the Jedi's question, Jack began to do several hand signs, confusing both Anakin and the Padawan as he did so. However, once he stopped, Obi-Wan hummed as he rubbed his chin. "Kix sent you to see if there was any medical supplies? We'll have some of the troops offload what they can find then."

"Umm, what was that?" Anakin asked his former master.

"Sign language. But different from standard military use." Obi-Wan answered, looking at the fully armored boy as he did. "Mandalorian sign language in fact. One single movement can mean and entire word or sentence. Where did you learn it?"

'During my training before Hawke and Anakin found me.' Jack answered through his hand movements. 'So, sorry to change the subject, but who's the kid?'

"That's rich coming from you." Obi-Wan chuckled, getting furious hand signs in response. "Yes, yes, you've said that dozens of times now."

"Can we get some words here?" Anakin asked.

"Ah yes, Jack was simply asking who Ahsoka was." Obi-Wan responded, turning to the Padawan. "Ahsoka, this is Jack. He's a new trooper, but has shown a true loyalty and skills that few could reach in his short time."

"A pleasure to meet you." Ahsoka said, holding her hand out.

Jack took the hand and shook it once, using his free hand to communicate. "He says it's good to meet you too." Obi-Wan translated as the two let go. "Now let's see if we can get a signal out to the cruisers."

'I'll see what I can do to amp the signal sir.' Jack motioned, getting a nod from the Jedi. Going to the holo-panel, Jack went down to wire some of the circuits around, looking for a way to boost the signal. It took a bit of time, but eventually he found the right power to get a clear signal through.

"Come in cruiser, respond." Anakin spoke up, before a clone came into view.

"Sir."

"What's the current situation up there? We need to get a signal in to the Jedi Temple."

"We're currently under attack by Separatists cruisers. But I'll try to get in contact with the Temple right away. Stand by." The communications clone responded as he began to send it through.

The four were then left with only the sound of the console beeping, waiting for the signal to come in. While Anakin and Obi-Wan were patient, Jack and Ahsoka seemed a little bothered by the wait. After a minute of waiting the image of Master Yoda, the head of the Jedi Council, appeared. "Master Kenobi, glad Ahsoka found you I am." Jack had to suppress the chuckle he had from the Jedi's speech pattern, finding it amusing.

"Master Yoda, we are trapped here and vastly outnumbered." Obi-Wan said. "We are in no position to go anywhere or do anything. Our support ships have all been destroyed."

"Send reinforcements to you we will." Yoda responded as the signal began to weaken.

"Master Yoda? Master Yoda!"

"What happened?" Anakin asked.

"We've lost the transmission, sir." The clone answered as he reappeared.

Soon after, another fleet clone walked up, appearing on the holo-panel. "We have to leave orbit. Ore enemy ships have arrived. We'll get back to you as soon as we can." After that, the communication dropped, leaving the group to remain in silence.

"I guess we'll have to hold out a little longer." Anakin spoke up.

"My apologies young one." Obi-Wan said to Ahsoka, noticing her slightly put off for being ignored. "It's time for a proper introduction."

The three then stood properly, Jack now feeling like the one ignored.

"I'm the new Padawan learner. I'm Ahsoka Tano." Ahsoka introduced.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, your new master."

"I'm at your service, Master Kenobi, but I'm afraid I've actually been assigned to Master Skywalker." The Padawan explained, pointing to Anakin.

"What?" The Jedi Knight questioned confused. "No, no, no, no, no." He denied while chuckling, walking around Obi-Wan. "There must be some mistake. He wanted the Padawan."

"No, Master Yoda was very specific." Ahsoka countered. "I'm assigned to Anakin Skywalker, and he is to supervise my Jedi training."

Obi-Wan smiled at the whole ordeal, turning to his former student. "But that doesn't make any se-"

"We'll sort this out later." Obi-Wan interrupted. "It won't be long before the droids find a way around our cannons."

"Jack and I will check on Rex in the lookout post." Anakin said, motioning for Jack to follow.

"You'd better take her with you." Obi-Wan stopped Anakin, motioning to Ahsoka.

'He is right. Snippy as she is, she is your student.'

"See? Even Jack agrees." Obi-Wan added, making sure to not bring up exactly what Jack said.

Anakin simple sighed in response and motioned her to follow with his hand. The three then made their way to the outpost, silence between them as they did. It took only a minute, but as they showed up Rex turned to them while putting down his range scouter and walked up to them.

"What's the status, Rex?" Anakin asked.

"Quiet now sir. They're gearing up for another assault." Rex answered. His attention turned to Ahsoka. "Who's the Youngling?"

"I'm Master Skywalker's Padawan." She responded, her distaste in the title shown clearly in her tone. "The name's Ahsoka Tano."

Rex turned his gaze to Jack, who simply shrugged in response before turning to Anakin. "Sir, I thought you said you'd never have a Padawan?"

"There's been a mix-up." He responded. "The Youngling isn't with me."

"Stop calling me that." Ahsoka spoke up, getting the attention of several clones around them. "You're stuck with me, Skyguy."

The snip that Ahsoka countered with got a rile out of Rex and Jack, who had to cover their mouth's in failed attempts to silence themselves. While Anakin on the other hand was not happy with the nickname. "What did you just call me? Don't get snippy with me, young one. I don't even think you're old enough to be a Padawan."

"Well, maybe I'm not, but Master Yoda thinks I am."

_"You look like you're 12. Maybe 13."_ The three then turned to Jack, who was now holding up a data-pad that he took from one of the crates. The pad was slow and monotone, but it called out whatever he typed.

"I'm 14, thank you very much." Ahsoka responded as she crossed her arms. "And aren't you a little short to be a trooper?"

_"Says the one who's shorter than me."_

"Alright enough." Anakin interrupted. "Look, whether or not Master Yoda thinks you're ready, you better start proving it. Jack will show you around, and hopefully you'll learn a little respect from him."

_"You ask a lot Anakin."_

"Just go."

_"Ugh, fine! Let's go Shorty."_ Jack finished typing, walking away while Ahsoka followed.

"Padawan."

"Are you sure that's smart sending her with him?" Rex asked.

"No, but it get's her out of my hair for a couple of minutes." Anakin responded.

* * *

Walking the way across the defensive cannon line, Ahsoka began to speak to them. "Have you thought of moving the line back? The cannons would have better cover there."

_"This kind of strategy has never been my specialty, Skywalker thinks they're fine where they are. And I trust that his judgement in the cannon lines are better than mine from my experience with him so far."_ Jack responded, showing fast reaction timing and coordination to answer with a longer response.

"So… if you're a private and I'm a Jedi, then, technically I outrank you, right?"

_"A little unfair, given how I'm almost as new to battles as you are."_ Jack was slightly annoyed with the conversation, mostly because of his current inability to talk making it more difficult. But also a bit at Ahsoka's philosophy of her ranking. He respects Jedi, but they still need to earn some kind of reason for it to truly get a rank up. _"But if I'm being honest, I'd follow with something Rex once told me. Experience outranks all."_

"Well, if experience outranks everything, I guess I'd better start getting some."

_"Just don't be upset that I'll have more than you all the time."_

"Is that bet?"

_"And if it is?"_

"Okay smart guy, how about a wager as to… what's that?" The two then stopped walking as a faint humming was heard.

Jack turned to the source, and his shoulders dropped as he sighed. _"Looks like they have an energy shield with them. That basically makes our cannons completely useless then. Well then Shorty, if you wanted experience, there's about a whopping amount coming your way. We better move."_

The two then headed back for the command center, meeting up with Anakin and Obi-Wan. Going for the quicker response, Jack went to using his hand gestures to Obi-Wan. 'We got a shield generator around the droids.'

"Yes, we know." Obi-Wan responded, a hologram of the whole battlefield with the shield and troops all shown. "The shield generator is somewhere in this area. They're slowly increasing the diameter to keep it just ahead of their troops."

"As they get closer we could try to draw them in closer into the buildings. That might level the playing field a bit."

"If that shield's going to be such a problem, why don't we just take it out?" Ahsoka asked.

"Easier said than done kid." Rex said.

"Well I, for one…" Anakin then cleared his throat before continuing. "Agree with her. Someone has to get to that shield generator and destroy it. That's the key."

"Alright then. Maybe you two can tiptoe through enemy lines and solve this particular problem together." Obi-Wan said.

"Can do, Master Kenobi." Ahsoka responded.

"I'll decide what we do." Anakin immediately said.

"If we can engage them here, you two might have a chance to get through undetected here." Obi-Wan pointed out to the points on the map.

"They won't have much time. The droids far outnumber us, so our ability to street fight is limited without the use of heavy cannons."

Jack then started to lightly jump, holding his hand up to get their attention. "Yes Jack?" Obi-Wan asked.

'I'm not entirely the best fighter here, but if there's one thing I'm good at it's turning around the odds to make advantages weakness.' Jack explained. 'That and kicking the teeth into enemies when a situation seems bleak.'

"What do you have in mind?"

"Is it always like this?" Ahsoka asked Rex, getting a no from the captain.

"Jack is usually more vocal, I think something messed him up during the last battle. He's a quick healer, I'm soon he'll be talking soon."

'I'm going to need explosives. Thermal detonators, at least enough to fill a backpack.'

"We should have plenty. If you think you can do something be quick. But don't put yourself in a situation that could get you killed."

'Understood Obi-Wan.' Jack then ran off, heading down to the mock armory that was set up. Once there, he grabbed a pack and began filling it with as many thermal detonators as he could. The spherical explosive never look like much, but they sure pack a wallop once they go off.

Running off to the city, he would stop at every recon post that he knew was stationed, giving the hand gesture to the troops overhead of where he was and what he was doing. Once he was far enough, he found a good road that would be in the droids' direct path, with them far away enough to be unable to see him.

He then got to work. The great thing about thermal detonators to Jack is that they can be disconnected into two separate pieces and set as delayed explosives. _'Ingenuity at it's best.'_ He thought as he'd go around the area, finding good places where they'd be hidden. Anywhere from behind walls to even just behind rubble that he'd find.

Halfway through the set up, he jumped as he heard the cannons go off. He juggled with a grenade he was carrying, sighing in relief as he caught it with both hands. i'They must be testing the shield's strength. Could've at least warned me.'/i

Once he was halfway through his pack, he could see that the shield was getting really close. He wasn't far from the planned ambush, and would probably be able to make it in time. He had however cursed himself for forgetting to bring a real blaster with him. Grenades work, but he doesn't want to risk setting off the planted explosives until the droids were in the right position.

_'Guess it's time to fall back.'_ Running back to the ambush line, Jack would throw the detonator halves into different areas, hoping that the droids will be more focused on marching than to worry about any possible traps. He had finally ran out just about fifty meters away, which would do well enough for his plan to work. _'Well, time to see if it'll work.'_

Instead of going to the spot for the ambush however, Jack would begin to make his way up a destroyed building. He needed the high ground to spot where his detonators were and the height of the building would do that just fine. With portions of the building missing, Jack would have to scale up from missing chunks to get up. Which was fine, only just a small delay to worry about.

Once he was at the top, he'd flip the zoom attachment he still had on his helmet down, watching as the droids were advancing. The numbers were large as always, but what he kept his focus on were the tanks and Spider Walkers. Those were his targets, and the explosives he set should take care at least a good amount of them.

He held his breath as he pulled out the remote detonator from his pack, rolling the small cylinder around his hand as he inspected it. Just like most, it had the clear red button at the top, the only thing he needed to set the whole city block into fiery chaos.

_'Just a couple more meters.'_ Jack thought as he laid on the ground, watching as the droids walked into the explosives' field. i'A little closer.'/i

"Huh?" A droid hummed as it looked to its side. The small beeping from one of the detonators gave it away, and shocked the droid. "Explosives!?"

_'Blast!'_ Jack saw the droid jump and point at one of the planted bombs, knowing that likely the forces wouldn't move up while they knew they were there. And that left him no choice but to set off the explosives, pressing down on the button with his thumb.

The charges beeped twice finally before going off, enveloping the whole area into one large explosion. At least three platoons of battle droids and one of super battle droids were taken out, along with at least one row of tanks. Jack growled slightly at the failed attempt of taking all of the Separatist heavy forces, but knew better than to not at least know the advantage of what he did.

It'd buy them a little more time, and while it wasn't all of them he took a good chunk of their assault group in those few seconds. _'I just hope that was enough.'_ His eyes then widened as one of the tanks turned it's cannon up to him, aiming right at him. _'Oh crap!'_

He had little time to push himself back from the edge before the tank round hit, sending him down to stories to the next solid floor. His vision would black out for a bit, time feeling to of passed for him. He groaned as he rolled on his back, feeling his head spin from the painful fall. "That… sucked…" He wheezed out, his voice slowly coming back to him.

Sitting up, he looked at his arms to see that his left arm was free of armor. Which means he lost his communicator and probably was just a second away from being turned into dust. "Close one…"

As he got up, he could see that the shield was still up, and quickly approaching the heavy cannons. "Come… on Anakin." After recovering most of his senses, Jack would make his way back down the building, not having to worry about the droids seeing as they moved on. _'How long was I out for?'_

Grabbing a fallen battle droid's blaster, Jack would begin to make his way back to the ambush position, hoping to see if he could find anyone still there or were injured and left behind. He could find over a dozen bodies, but each fallen clone was either killed by a single shot or was likely gunned down after being injured. Without a purpose to remain, he would continue on, trying to find his way back to any line the Republic might still have.

It wasn't until he ran into a platoon of droids that he took cover. Their backs were turned to him, but they seemed to be waiting for something. They were acting as some sort of defense, standing just behind a tank in a row. "Great… and not even… a grenade to use."

There wasn't much he could do in this situation. He's not used to the idea of going against a whole platoon of droids, but whatever they guarded was important and he needed to find out what. All he needed was some kind of distraction.

"Uh, what's happening to the shield?"

"Well… that works." Jack said to himself as he fired at one of the droids, hitting it dead in the head.

"Clone!"

"Don't fire!"

"Uhh… what?" The voice that just gave an order wasn't any kind of droid, not one he's heard before. But seeing as how the battle droids all stopped themselves before firing, he felt almost safe enough to walk up, keeping his blaster at the ready should it be needed.

"General Kenobi, if you can hear me we've broken through the blockade. The Separatist fleet is in retreat. Your reinforcements should be arriving now." Jack recognized Yularen's voice easily, and bolted past the droid line, pushing one to the side.

"Hey!"

"Obi-Wa-ack!" Jack coughed as he saw the Jedi, holding who he assumed was the Separatist general hostage with super battle droids just in front of them.

"Ah, it's good to see you Jack." Obi-Wan responded as he turned to the boy. "What's your condition?"

'Mostly fine. Left arm's feeling a little jumpy after almost getting blown off. Voice is almost back as well, I think I just need some water now.' Jack signaled, knowing it'd be easier than wheezing it out.

"That's good, it would be a shame if we lost you just after learning how good you are at espionage. Well done my boy."

"What!? That clone set the explosives?" The Separatist general questioned.

Jack then took his helmet off in response, giving a deadpanned expression to him. "I can assure you, he is not a clone. But he's still more than capable of doing his part." Obi-Wan said for him, smirking as a gunship landed just a few meters away. Out from it, several clones piled out, keeping their aim on the droids.

But the one that caught Jack's attention was the small green alien that walked out with them. The Jedi Master Yoda, possibly the most noted Jedi Master in the whole order.

"Master Yoda, your timing is perfect."

_'Oh crap, the Jedi of all Jedi is here.'_. Jack thought nervously. _'This is either something really big or really painful.'_


	6. Rescue the Huttlet

"Where did you learn to set up a trap that fast?" Rex asked as he and Jack rode a gunship to pick up Anakin and Ahsoka. "The amount of time you had to get there and set everything would've taken a whole squad, yet you did it all by your self."

"That training I told Anakin and Hawke about when they found me." Jack answered. "I was a part of a squad, each with a specialty set in place. We had a leader, a sniper, a heavy weapons expert, an engineer, and a saboteur. And then there was me, the espionage expert. I was the shadow you didn't know you had, and the thorn in your side that wouldn't come out."

"Huh, guess you weren't as hopeless as we thought." Rex jested, getting a chuckle from Jack.

"Yeah well, I was pretty poor in teamwork with some things. I either didn't try enough or I tried to hard. So I guess something came out of that month. For all it was worth…"

"Hey." Rex then placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, keeping the boy from thinking. "We've all lost brothers, you just have to remember that their sacrifice will be for nothing if we don't win."

"I know… it's just that's my second squad I've lost." Jack responded. "Blitz, Tacs and Stiches are dead, and Deadshot's going to be reassigned from what I heard."

"A lot of work a sniper can do. A lot of the different legions could use his help out on the field."

"Sometimes I think the galaxy just doesn't want me to be working with others. Like I'm cursed or something."

"Bah, ain't any way you'll see us dropping. Tell you what, I can promise that I'll stick through this war with you." Rex said as he bumped his fist on Jack's shoulder. "That way, you'll always have a fellow soldier to rely on."

"Cause Jedi really like running off on their own." Jack smiled back, nodding as he did. "Alright Rex, I'll take the offer. But don't blame me if you get shot in the chest."

"A challenge, I like it."

The gunship then landed, and the two Jedi walked up and in. They seemed perfectly fine, just a small traces of dust here and there but nothing even close to an injury.

"Great job, General Skywalker." Rex said to Anakin, the gunship now taking off and heading back to the city. "You too kid." Rex said to Ahsoka, getting a small smile from the Padawan.

"Yeah, I gave you a lot of crap, but I'll give credit where it's due." Jack added, now getting the attention of the Padawan.

"Who are you?" She asked, getting raised eyebrows from everyone onboard. "What? I'm serious."

"This is Jack, the soldier who showed you around before the shield came up." Anakin answered, confusing Ahsoka even more.

"But he isn't a clone."

"Well gee, how'd you figure that out?" Jack asked, getting a small glare from the learner. "What? I wear a helmet when on assignment, bill me for now bringing up the detail that I'm a volunteer. Heck, I thought you knew."

"How would I know?"

"You called me out on being shorter than clones. I thought that would of given it away."

"I was just stating the obvious!"

"This is gonna be a lot more trouble down the road, isn't it?" Rex whispered to Anakin, the Padawan and soldier now arguing.

"Eh, probably."

* * *

"Yep, uh huh." Kix said as he ran a final check up on Jack, now able to properly assess him with the higher grade of supplies aboard a cruiser. "Well Jack, I don't see any permanent damage coming from your earlier injury. Just avoid getting hit in the chest and back for a while now all right? It seems to be becoming your thing."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack said as he rolled his shoulders, having the freedom of full movement without his upper armor on. "I'll avoid the big bad bombs from now on, would save me a lot actually."

"Ah, ah, ah. Hold it." Kix then placed a hand on Jack's left arm, causing the boy to jolt in pain. "That arm of yours is still a little banged up from that TANK shot you got hit by."

"Almost, officially."

"Yeah well that's beside the point." The clone responded as he motioned to a hologram of Jack's body, pointing to the arm coated in red light. "It's pretty messed up. More than likely from your fall rather than the explosion. You're lucky it didn't break."

"Well, if it isn't broken then I'm clear aren't I?"

"Not that simple kid. You have a few fractures throughout it, one that could completely break it if you aren't careful enough." Kix added, turning back to Jack. "I'd say stay out of this next mission, but I know that you won't. So all I can say is… don't land on your arm again."

"Yeah… I figured." Jack chuckled, getting an eased smile from the clone medic. "So can I get set up now? I think we'll be heading out soon."

"Gonna have to get someone to help you get your gear on. I would offer myself but I still have over a dozen other injured I have to treat. You should also avoid using your arm for much more than blaster control."

"Um, okay. But who's going to help me? It's kinda an unspoken rule for us not to help each other with equipment management."

"There's some new people aren't there? I'm pretty sure you can ask one to help you with it."

"Wait, but all the new troops would be in on it." Jack said. "The only other new person I know is Ah-…" He then paused, seeing the small smirk on the clone. "You're a bad person."

"Better get moving. And be sure to really grovel for her to accept your request." Jack then groaned as he walked out, hearing Kix yell one last thing. "And be sure not to call her Shorty when you're begging for help!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Jack made his way to the hangar, knowing that was where the Jedi was likely to be. They were just over the planet where scouts had been tracing for Jabba's son and had picked them up. Yeah, Jabba the Hutt, the most notorious crime lord in the galaxy. It surprised the boy that they were rescuing the Hutt's son, but he knew why. Jabba had trade routes that could go throughout the whole galaxy, and that was something the Republic needed, especially with the recent loses they suffered.

It would benefit them immensely, and give them edges they lost due to the Separatists' recent pushes. Needless to say, it didn't fully sit well with Jack. Saving this kid meant bringing the future of a future crime lord, one that would likely rival their father. And that was a dangerous gamble.

"That sounds like a lot, even for a Jedi." Jack heard a clone speak up as he walked through the hangar, seeing a group of clones next a gunship.

"I heard that you were surrounded by droids. How did you get the shield down?" Another asked, giving Jack the clear that they were talking to Ahsoka.

"Okay, so there's a wall behind him with a hole in the middle." The Togruta's voice only confirmed his belief, making him have to prepare for what's next. "So I pull the wall down on top of the droids, destroying them and saving the general."

While some of the clones laughed, Jack actually nodded once as he walked up to the group. "I gotta say, that's pretty resourceful. I wouldn't be able to pull that off unless I had two grenades or so." Jack admitted. Although, he didn't have the Force on his side like the Padawan did, so there was also that.

"A compliment coming from Jack on resourcefulness? Guess that means you did good." A third clone said to Ahsoka, who smirked as she looked at Jack.

"Guess that means I have a lead on you then."

"Oh no, I have a few moments where that was still child's play." Jack returned with a smirk of his own, crossing his arms. "But I won't deny someone who has a sharp eye, so I'll give you credit on the save."

"Okay what are you after?" Rex asked, surprising Jack.

"What makes you say I'm after something?"

"Because the last time you saw each other, you wouldn't stop calling her Shorty. So you're either on meds or your trying to get something."

"Ah blast." Jack muttered before sighing. "Alright, I sort of need Ahsoka to hrpmh mrph mmmrh…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Ahsoka asked, motioning to her ear with a growing smirk.

"I said I need you to mmrphmph mmfh…" Jack grumbled again, crossing his arms as he looked away.

"One last time buddy."

"Fine! I need your help with my armor! Kix says I'm not allowed to put too much pressure on my arm and I need someone's help then to do so. Happy?"

"Hmm, I don't know."

"Don't you dare Shor-"

"Hmmm, who shouldn't dare?" The Padawan asked as Jack stopped himself, causing the clones around to laugh.

"Just… will you help me with this…" Jack then appeared ready to puke, holding his right hand to his mouth. "Please?"

"There we go, was that so hard?"

"Extremely."

It was the most annoying thing he had to do, but he was at least grateful the Padawan helped him with his armor. With the clones not likely going to help, she was the only one he could unfortunately turn to.

"So how did you hurt your arm?" She asked as she kept his back piece on him, waiting as he secured the lock between it and his chest guard.

"Oh, you know. Just got sent back from a tank shot's force down a couple of stories onto rubble." Jack answered as the armor locked into place, the pair now moving to his right arm's armor.

"Just?"

"If you saw what the rest of my body looked like right now, you'd understand." He chuckled, his shoulder guard connecting with the rest of his gear. "Seriously, the only way it would've actually been bad is if it hit me. Luckily it was a droid firing and he hit the edge of the building I was on."

"From what the men were saying, you managed to take out quite the amount of droids with your little bomb trick." Ahsoka commented, setting his bicep guard on before reaching for his forearm bracer.

"At least three platoons and about three tanks or so." Jack recounted. "That's not counting the ones hit by debris. But still the highest scrap count I've had in a mission directly thanks to me."

"What was the previous amount?"

"About ten." Jack chuckled. "I'm still pretty new to all of this, only about a couple weeks in. And I've only directly fought in three firefights at that."

"Guess you aren't as far ahead as you thought." Ahsoka gloated as she finished putting his bracer on.

"Believe me Ahsoka." Jack said as he looked at the marks he placed on his chest piece. "I have more experience than most would know." Jack lost himself at the marks before shaking his head, getting his mind clear. "But anyways, I guess I'll have to say thanks, even if it churns my insides saying such a thing to you."

"Oh trust me, this wasn't any fun for me either." Ahsoka responded with an eye roll as they both stood up. "You're not exactly the most enjoyable conversationalist I've had to talk to."

"And to that I'm proud of." Jack smirked as he picked up his helmet, putting it on as he continued. "Haven't had anyone to make fun of in awhile, feels good to let the mind think of a few good ones to use Shorty."

"And we're back to that."

"Hey, I said thanks. That's more of a compliment than you've given me thus far."

"Excuses."

"I am also an expert at those."

It wasn't long after they entered back into the hangar that it was time to load up, and the two were on a gunship heading to the planet's surface below them. As the flight had started, Obi-Wan's hologram appeared at the center of the ship, his attention on Anakin.

"All right, Anakin, here's the story. Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back to Tatooine safe and sound."

"Won't take us that long Master." Anakin responded.

"Well take extreme care. We have no idea who's holding Jabba's son." Obi-Wan warned. "Once the negotiations with him are nearly finished, Hawke will be there to assist you, with me following shortly after."

_'Hawke.'_ Jack thought with a grin. It had been a long time since he saw the Jedi who helped get him into the army, and he wanted to see first hand just how good the Jedi Knight was. But as he knew, he had to focus on the mission first, which meant preparing for the attack on the monastery that the Hutt was being held at.

"Try and stay close to me, if you can." Anakin said to Ahsoka.

"It won't be a problem, Master."

"This isn't practice, Ahsoka." Anakin warned.

"I know. And I'll try not to get you killed."

"I hope that goes for all of us." Jack added on, shortly being followed by the ship rocking from nearby fire. "Guess they see us now."

"Sir, we're taking heavy fire." The pilot reported.

"Close the blast shields." Anakin ordered. "Get us under those guns."

"Yes sir!"

The opening on the gunship then closed, darkening the whole area. A red light then came on, illuminating the group as the clones began to prepare themselves.

"Rex, your comm's got static."

"Got it."

"Red light, stand by."

They all then loaded their DC-15A blasters, as Jack put in his clip into his 15S rifle. The ship was fast descending, and it wasn't long before they were near the ground. "Welcome to paradise, rock jumpers." The pilot said as they landed.

The light then turned green as the door opened, everyone reacting instantly and moving out of the gunship and moving to the base of the pure vertical mountain they had to climb.

Compared to most of the clones, Jack lacked the range of his rifle to effectively hit his targets. However, the focus right now wasn't to hit the most droids, that was up to the AT-TEs they had brought for the climb. His job was to get to the base to avoid getting hit. Several bolts came close to hitting him, one he had to roll forward to avoid completely. But he made it to the mountain's base and planted his back against the rock, ducking his head to avoid the blaster fire.

"Droid." Jack said quickly as the rest of the clones and the two Jedi made it, confusing them for a second.

That second was then interrupted as a battle droid landed in front of them, having fallen from the top of the mountain. "Oh my-GAH!" It was then effectively destroyed as its scope landed directly on its head.

_'Sometimes I'm embarrassed by what we're up against.'_ Jack thought as he looked back up.

"So this is where the fun begins." Ahsoka said.

"Race you to the top." Anakin responded.

"I'll give you a head start."

"You're mistake."

"Attaching cables." The clones and Jack then moved back from the base and aimed up, firing the cable attachments on their rifles to the top of the mountain. Anakin and Jack both wasted no time in their climb, the Jedi using his lightsaber to block bolts while Jack fired back, nicking one of the spider droids above them.

The climb up was treacherous with the downpour of laser fire aimed at the rising army. Climbing up the smooth surface meant there would be no cover, and everyone had to keep their footing perfect to avoid slipping and losing their grip on their weapons and cables.

With the assistance of the AT-TEs however, the droids weren't able to aim as well. Jack knows from experience hitting a target is a lot more difficult with a tank cannons and turrets firing right at you.

The boy however noticed that the droids began to focus their fire on one of the walkers. Losing one would make the others easier targets, and cause the deaths of the crew inside the climbing tank. "Ahsoka!" Jack called to the Padawan, getting her attention. "Defend the tanks!"

The Padawan had to only look at the walker to understand the boy's order. Nodding once, she used the Force to swing her cable towards the walker before jumping onto the hull. As she began to climb up it, one of the tanks buckled under the heavy fire, and before long lost its grip on the wall and crashed to the ground, exploding upon impact.

The now growing threat of the next walker being destroyed encouraged Ahsoka to forgo safety and jump right up to the walker's front, landing on the glass of the pilot's cockpit. The second she landed, her lightsaber ignited and the Togruta would deflect bolt after bolt, keeping the pilot safe from enemy fire.

Not soon after though, the gunner of the AT-TE's main cannon was shot, sent plummeting to his doom. Jack cursed under his breath, knowing the cannon would be needed for the whole ascension up. Looking at the walker, he shuffled his feet as he had an idea. "This is either going to be really cool, or really painful."

The boy then extended his feet out, pushing himself away from the mountain's side and swinging to his right. One of the feelings he hated the most was not having something under him, and the knowledge of an almost thirty second fall only made him feel even more stupid for what he was doing. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh BLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAASSSSSST"

Letting go of the cable, Jack slammed against the tank's hull loudly, causing him to flinch as he used both his arms to grab the back of the cannon's console chair.

"Jack!?"

"Focus on the droids!"

_CRACK!_

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Jack deadpanned as the walker's front feet lost their grip on the mountain, sending the front leaning back at a dangerous angle. The sudden shift caused Ahsoka to trip, forcing her to grab on to the edge of the pilot's cockpit to avoid falling. Jack on the other hand, felt his arm scream in pain as he was forced to carry his complete weight with both.

The pilot would then start to correct the problem, leaning the walker back towards the wall. Using the momentum, Jack lifted himself up with it and quickly got set up. He had gone over the basics of using a walker's cannon back on Kamino, but this would be his first time actually firing one. "Okay, time to strap in." He said as he got everything set, gripping the twin controls and locking an iron grip.

Pressing his thumbs on the triggers, he felt the recoil of the cannon as a shot fired, completely destroying a spider droid with ease. "He… hehehe." Jack chuckled lightly, finding enjoyment in using the heavy weapon. Firing again, this time he hit the edge of the mountain, blowing several battle droids away with the shockwave. "Hehehehehe, hahahahaha!" Jack laughed fully, enjoying the feeling of the recoil as he aimed and fired.

"What is with you?" Ahsoka asked as she looked down to the soldier, seeing him laugh as he fired.

"Just like the simulations!" Jack grinned as he fired again, moving his head to the side on reflex as a bolt hit the back of his chair. The armor luckily protected him, but it brought his attention to the four droids on speeders flying right at him. Before he could even react however, Anakin was quick to dispatch them. Jumping from one to the other, he easily cut each in half before taking the fourth speeder, flying up to the top.

"Gotta keep up!"

"Hey, no fair!"

"Okay… maybe not entirely like the simulations." Jack muttered as he sat back into the chair, firing up at the platform the Jedi Knight was quickly approaching. The Jedi's speeder was then shot by the droids up top, forcing him to jump the extreme distance and behind the enemy's line. And in the seconds to follow, several droids were either sent flying down with the Force, or from being cut in half.

"You know… sometimes I feel like the Force is kinda cheating." Jack said over the comms.

"You and me both." Rex responded, sounding tired as he had to continue climbing. "And to think we have to keep up with General Skywalker all the time."

"I'm surprised you don't already have wrinkles from the stress Rex." Jack chuckled as the rest of the climb was without resistance. And once at the top, Jack instantly locked his focus onto the three droidikas right in front of Anakin. It only took one blast to completely wipe out the rollers.

"I couldn't be much closer Skyguy." Ahsoka said, seeming to respond to something Anakin said.

"I knew you would get here Snips, eventually." The Knight responded as his lightsaber vanished and he sheathed it.

"Always in time to save your life." The Togruta said as she leaned against Jack's seat, smirking at her master.

"For the record, I'm the one that saved him." Jack spoke up, getting a punch to the shoulder from the Padawan. "Ow! That's the injured shoulder genius!"

"I know." She smirked as she jumped off the walker.

"You know for a Jedi…" Jack started as he got out of the cannon's chair and walked to the hull's edge. "You're cold." He then slid off the small decline and landed on his feet, walking over to Rex. "Rex, mind if I borrow a pistol?"

"You dropped your blaster didn't you?" The captain asked as he pulled one of his DC-17 pistols to the boy.

"I swung and jumped like ten meters to get on the tank. Bill me for dropping my rifle in favor of becoming an ugly stain on the ground." Jack responded, the two chuckling as the boy took the pistol. "I'll check at the monastery's front gate to see if there's any traps. Sound good?" He asked as he took an empty pack from one of the other clones.

"Make it an order then private." Rex nodded, giving Jack the clear to move ahead of the others.

Moving on the walkway to the gate with a scanner in hand, Jack was almost disappointed in the droids' setup. Checking the ground, there wasn't a single mine set in place for defense or any laser wire traps. It's like they thought the monastery was completely untouchable to enemy forces. The first thing Jack learned training was nothing was untouchable, and a perfect defense was beyond important in any battle.

At least, if you're the one defending anyways. Works great for them with the lack of traps.

Making it all the way to the gate, Jack turned back to the pack and gave a nod. "Sector is clear sir!" Anakin gave a nod in response and ordered a squad to come with them, making sure that they had enough forces should there be more droids inside the monastery.

Once they were all together, Jack would use the console to open the monastery gate, the large metal barrier moved up slowly as it revealed the darkened interior. 'So much for expecting monks.' Jack thought as he and the clones activated the lights on their helmets, lighting several parts of the large corridor.

"I don't like this place." Rex spoke as they moved in. "It's too empty, gives me the creeps."

"It's not a whole lot better when the B'omar monks are here." Jack responded, knowing how the brain-jar piloted droids look. "I think it's actually creeper when you see them walking around these monasteries. But it's weird not seeing so much as at least one near the gate."

"Smugglers take these monasteries over, turn them into their own personal retreats." Jack could draw where Anakin was going with this. Knowing the strategy well himself.

"And the monks just let them?" Ahsoka asked.

"The monks aren't exactly fit for battle." Jack answered. "And if there isn't violence, the monks won't do anything to start a fight they can't win."

Clattering was then heard, prompting Anakin to activate his lightsaber once more while the troopers focused their lights at the source. At it, was a droid with bug like eyes walking to them. Seeing the droid, Jack didn't fail to notice the twitch in his ear, making him keep his aim on it.

"Um, good guy or bad guy Master?"

"Who are you?" Anakin questioned the droid.

"Merely a humble caretaker, oh mighty sir." The droid answered, stopping a small distance from the Jedi Knight. "You have liberated me from those dreadful battle bots. I am most thankful."

"Where is the Hutt?"

"The battle bots kept their prisoners on the detention level." The droid continued. "But I must warn you, it is very dangerous down there. Not a place for a servant girl." The droid finished, looking to Ahsoka.

_'Even I wouldn't go that low.'_ Jack thought with annoyance. _'And even then, making an assumption like that isn't something for a droid. That's more under the lines of… espionage.'_

"Do servant girls carry-" Before the Togruta could even activate her lightsaber, Jack fired two rounds into the droid, one in the chest and one in the head.

"Jack! What are you doing!?" Anakin demanded as the boy knelt next to the fallen droid, opening its faceplate and inspecting the wiring.

"Call it working off a hunch sir." Jack responded, taking off his helmet to plug in several of the wires into it.

"What hunch?"

"The hunch that this isn't a caretaker droid." Jack answered as he checked through the programming. "B'omar monks are the only caretakers of these monasteries, and if you're somehow trusted to be one, you don't often make assumptions on a person's alignment. In the end, all are one in their belief."

"And how would you know this?" Ahsoka asked.

"When you play a role for the first time, you're bound to make a mistake. And in espionage, it can either teach you or end you." Jack then finished looking through the programming, nodding once as he ripped the wires out from his helmet and picked it up. "Unfortunately for our friend here, I'm not very good at being a teacher."

"Explain." Anakin said.

"Prototype espionage programming." Jack answered, raising the eyebrows of the Jedi. "This droid was trying to set us up somehow, probably placed in by the droids. I'm not sure how much of what he said was true, but I do know that the detention level would be the best place to keep the Hutt."

"And now how would we get there?"

"I know these monasteries like the back of my hand Anakin." Jack responded. "If you need a guide to the holding cells, then I'm the guy to do it."

"Do I even want to know as to how you know this?"

"Let's just say… I have some things I regret doing back then." Jack simply left off, starting to walk into the monastery.

"Captain, we'll get the Hutt." Anakin said back to Rex as he and Ahsoka started to follow Jack. "Stay here. Keep your eyes open."

"Copy that, sir."

On the way down to the dungeons, the Jedi were surprised over the fact of how Jack moved. The whole time he never stopped once to think, as if he had been to this monastery before dozens of times. There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation from the boy on the journey down.

"The dungeon's just down this corridor." Jack said, his ear twitching as they walked past a door. "We've got company."

"I know." Anakin responded.

"We just passed two more droids." Ahsoka said.

"I know."

"Well I don't like this. Can I just take care of them?"

"Oh, well, if you feel so strongly about it go ahead." Upon his words, Ahsoka quickly turned to the know three droids that were following them, cutting the first's weapon in half before cutting it apart. The next two were then promptly destroyed as she deflected their shots right back at them. All in just a few seconds as she then deactivated her saber and placed it back on her waist. "Not bad, you remembered to destroy their weapons first."

"I'm improving your technique." The Togruta responded.

Anakin in response activated his lightsaber and jabbed behind him, impaling a droid that was still in one of the door before deactivating it. "Of course, you did miss one."

"I… did that on purpose." Ahsoka said as they began to walk again.

"Yeah just as I purposely got my arm injured." Jack chuckled, getting a small glare from the Padawan.

Anakin then stopped the two as he looked at a closed door. "I sense our kidnapped Hutt is in here."

"Ew." Ahsoka added as she covered her nose. "I smell him, too."

"Eh, I've smelled a lot worse." Jack said as Anakin waved his hand, using the force to open up the door. Looking inside, the three then saw the small Hutt, no older than probably one or so. "A… a kid?" Jack then slightly shook his head, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"He's a lot younger than I thought he'd be." Anakin added.

"Aw, he's just a baby." Ahsoka said. "This will make our job a lot easier."

"Then you clearly haven't worked with kids." Jack responded as he pulled the pack off of his back, enjoying the strap now leaving his shoulder. "Or ever met a Hutt for that matter."

"What do you mean by that?" Ahsoka asked as the two knelt down next to the Huttlet, Jack putting the pack on the ground.

"Kids are a handful the younger they are, and Hutts will ruin your lives." Jack said with a small smile. "Babies like this little guy, does both."

"So, then what?"

"Well, he should fit in the pack just fine. It's getting him still enough to get in that will be the challenge."

"How bad could it be?"

* * *

"How bad could it be, you said." Jack muttered as the three started making their way back to the outside. "He's just a baby, what could he do, you said."

"Okay Jack, I get it." Ahsoka responded, carrying the small Hutt with the pack on her back. "He was… a little bit more of a hassle then I thought."

"He poked me in the eye!"

"It was an accident."

"He wouldn't let go of my still injured arm!"

"He was… curious?"

"He barfed on me!" The boy yelled, pointing to the green slime that was all over his chest plate. Slime that was slowly hardening into a mold.

"Well maybe he's just allergic to you."

"Oh I'll give that sick little grease ball something to be allergic to." Jack said as he pointed to the Hutt. "If it wasn't for him being Jabba's son I would pulverize him."

"Oh it'll wash off."

"It's hardening! I think he tried turning me into a hive with his fluids." Jack groaned as he looked down to the slime. "It's disgusting really."

"And what if it wasn't that?"

"Oh no, it wasn't." Jack said. "I think he's really sick. B'omar temples aren't kept to be germ free. They're cleaned up, but the amount of bacteria you can get in one is extremely unhealthy for anyone his age."

"What!?"

"Am I the only one that knows B'omar culture?" He asked. "Rhetorical question." He said as he held his hand to Anakin.

"Am I interrupting something?" As the three were finally out, a hologram of Hawke formed nearby.

"No Hawke, we just were talking about the Hutt's condition." Anakin responded, turning to his fellow Jedi Knight. "He appears to be sick."

"I'd say he wouldn't make the trip to Tatooine if we don't treat him soon." Jack reported, getting the Knight to hum.

"We'll bring some medicine for him, just make sure he lives until then." Hawke then raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jack, seeing the slime on him. "What happened to you?"

"Ugh, he barfed on me."

"Gross."

"I still don't think dealing with the Hutts is a good idea." Anakin said to Hawke, getting the Knight's attention back.

"Anakin, we'll need Jabba's trading roots if we're going to have a chance during this war. Without them, we're cut off completely throughout the Outer Rim." Hawke responded. "If anything happens to that Huttlet before you get back to Jabba's Palace, this will severely hurt our efforts in the war."

"Uh… I think we have another issue right now." Jack said as he looked up, seeing vulture droids and droid transport ships heading their way.

"Defensive positions!" Rex ordered, causing the troops to scramble to prepare.

"Anakin?"

"I'll have to call you back Hawke." Anakin said. "We're under attack. We could use a little help here if you have the time."

"I'll be there soon. Protect the Hutt until then." Hawke's communication then cut off, just in time for the vulture droids to make their first move.

"Artoo, move!" Jack shouted, the astromech shooting out from its Jedi fighter and moving fast away just seconds before it was destroyed. Firing at the approaching droids, Jack would manage to land two shots before having to stop and dodge away.

The starting assault was pushing hard, enough that the AT-TE pilot was shot early on. With the cockpit destroyed, the walker was now useless. "Fall back inside." Anakin ordered, everyone listening and running back into the monastery. Just seconds before it closed, Anakin slid back, entering with his saber deactivated.

"Rex, fortify this position." Anakin ordered. "We'll hold this position until Hawke comes with reinforcements."

"Is that smart sir?" Jack asked. "I'm not sure we'll be able to hold them back long enough with the Huttlet here, or without any heavy armaments to back us up."

"Our mandate is to hold this monastery."

"Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine, and time is running out." Ahsoka interrupted, motioning to the sick Huttlet.

"I suppose you have a plan?"

"Well, this monastery must have a few hangars lying around." Jack threw out. "I'd be willing to bet that somewhere around this place has a ship. If Artoo plugs into it, he can probably get the Huttlet and you out of here easy."

"See, it should work." Ahsoka went along, glad Jack was on her side for something.

"Alright Snips, I'll follow you on this one." Anakin said, getting a smile on the Padawan's face. "Captain, hold them here for as long as you can. Jack, you're with us."

"Will do, sir."

"Wait, why me?" Jack asked.

"Because you're the guide Jack. If you know this place inside out so well, you'll find us something." Anakin said, smirking as he saw the boy's shoulders slump.

"It's probably best if you go with them kid." Rex added. "Your arm is still at a high risk of injury, we can't worry about it getting worse during the firefight against the clankers."

"But-I… ugh." Jack sighed, knowing the clone captain was right. "Fine, but be sure to scrap one for me, clear."

"Hehe, sure thing kid."

"Jack!"

"I'm coming!" Jack shouted back, running after Anakin and Ahsoka. "Jeez, give a guy a minute why don't you."

"Where to?"

"Monasteries have tons of places where you can land a ship. It'd be easier if Artoo here scanned the area to find one. I can give him the locations to cut his search time in half. Sound good little guy?" The droid beeped in response, getting a chuckle from him. "Guess even astromechs can only handle so much huh?"

Going to the heart of the monastery, the group then stopped at the worship room, a room identical to what Jabba used as his throne room. "Plug in R2, I'll set the coordinates." Typing on the console, Jack then allowed R2 to connect to it and start going, reading through each set to see where a ship could be.

"He's finally asleep." Anakin commented, looking at the Huttlet. "Why not put him down, get yourself some rest as well Ahsoka. You've had a long for you little one, both of you."

"I can hold him, Master." While Jack had listened and sat down next to the astromech, Ahsoka insisted on handling herself. "I'm not tired."

"Suit yourself." Anakin said while sitting down. "I don't see why you won't just listen to me."

"I do listen to you, Master. I just don't like being treated like a youngling."

"You must have patience. What are you trying to prove?"

"That I'm not too young to be your Padawan."

Jack sighed in response, rubbing the faceplate of his helmet as he did. "Look, I can't really say I understand this Jedi stuff, but why do you think to prove yourself you have to rush it?" Getting up, Jack then continued. "Nothing can just happen at the snap of your fingers is worth while. It takes time to earn trust or respect. I trained on Kamino, and I'll tell you that rushing was a horrible mistake. None of my squad really worked well together, and we would fail horribly all the time. But then, we started to click."

"Our problem was we never worked together, so we hardly got any of the simulations finished when we were up. But once we did, when we put all of our differences aside and worked as a team, we managed to pass. It wasn't because we worked well from the start, and it wasn't because of a single simulation that it clicked. It took the whole time to finally get it right, and it was worth it."

"You're doing fine Ahsoka." Jack started to finish, settling his back against the wall. "I'm sure Anakin does see you as his Padawan regardless of your age. Just like how he sees me as a soldier even though I'm only a year older. I think he just wants you to be in one piece once this is all over."

Artoo then started to beep, getting the three's attention. Rotating his head around, his eye then projected a hologram of the whole building, red outlining the back of it.

"A back landing platform."

"We'll call for a gunship when we get there." Anakin said as Artoo disconnected. "Jack, lead the way." The boy then nodded and was about to start moving, when he looked to the ground and saw the backpack had something missing. "Uh… where's Stinky?"

"You told me to put him down."

"Come on Shorty how could you-" Jack stopped halfway through his sentence when he heard panting and looked below the platform, being joined by Anakin and Ahsoka shortly after to see the small Huttlet. "I'm not grabbing him."

"Come out of there, you grubby little slug." Anakin said as he grabbed Stinky's tail and pulled back, ignoring the screams the Huttlet gave. The three then started to put the Huttlet back in the backpack, with Ahsoka wearing it to keep him from escaping again. As they finished, Anakin's communicator went off.

"Anakin, come in."

"Rex?" Jack wondered, looking at the communicator. His ear soon twitched and he glared at the device.

"We've held the droids back, sir."

"That's not like Rex." Anakin commented, knowing the clone captain well.

"What is your location?"

"Ventress." Anakin concluded, turning off his communicator.

"Dooku's assassin?" Ahsoka asked.

"She's here to kill the Hutt. Come on." The three then began to move again, with Jack taking the lead. He kept a firm grip on Rex's pistol, knowing he'll likely need to use it soon.

_'Great, a Sith assassin is going to join the party, what fun.'_ He thought, knowing full well he'd have to rely on Ahsoka and Anakin to fight her. He has a trick or two, but they're only good when he has the element of surprise. And with a group of four plus a baby, that wouldn't happen.

He just had to hope that one of the tricks would save him if he get's caught alone. Otherwise, he'll have a hole in his chest that goes all the way through. He has impressive survival chances, but not to impalement or dismemberment.

_'This is gonna suck.'_


	7. Evade the Enemy

"And where do you think you're going?"

Before the four could even get to the stairs, they were forced to back up as Ventress and a squad of super battle droids and battle droids followed behind her. Jack would take cover behind Anakin and Ahsoka, the two Jedi activating their lightsabers as the droids lined up in the room.

Had the Sith not of had her dual lightsabers already active, Jack would've taken his chances to try and shoot her. But then again, Force users can block blaster shots if they timed their powers just right. He'd have to catch her off guard to do that.

"Master Skywalker, I've been so looking forward to another encounter with you." Ventress said as the four found themselves nearly backed into a corner. "I see you've found yourself a few pets."

"Careful, they bite." Anakin responded, glaring at the Sith assassin.

"I'm no pet."

"She's more of a rough negotiator if I'm being honest." Jack added in, backing up off the caged floor along with Artoo, guarding the astromech as he went back to the console.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to kill you first so you don't have to watch your new family die."

"You know, the threat would be there if you weren't standing on top of a trap door right about now." As Jack finished his words, Artoo caused the trap door to fall, sending the Sith, Jedi and most of the droids down into an arena like pit. Seeing a droid avoid the fall, Jack quickly grabbed it by the neck and pulled it down, slamming it's back against the ground.

"Huh?" The droid questioned as it looked up, seeing Jack aiming right at it. "No wai-!"

Two blasts to the chest shut the thing up completely. And with it dead, there certainly wasn't anything to stop him from taking the blaster rifle. "Sorry Rex, I'm just not much of a pistol person." He said as he connected the pistol to his belt, taking the droid's rifle and running over to one of the windows that opened down at the pit.

By the time he was there, he saw that most of the droids were dealt with, leaving the Sith to fight against both Jedi at once. Despite the numbers difference, Jack was shocked to see how well the Sith could handle herself, fighting between Ahsoka and Anakin both simultaneously, kicking the Knight and almost cleaving Ahsoka in two.

Due to her dodge however, Stinky fell out of her pack. "Stinky!"

"I'll handle her. You get the Huttlet out of here." Anakin said, his saber fighting for power against Ventress'.

"Easy for you to say." Ahsoka responded, running after the two buttons next to the gate in the arena. It was then Jack snapped out of his fascination at the duel and focused on Ahsoka, reaching his arm out.

"No Ahsoka wait!" His warning came too late, as the Padawan soon pressed the lower button, opening the gate. "Oh crap."

Loud, thunderous footsteps were then heard. And soon after a jungle Rancor emerged from the opened gate. "Oops."

"Oops!? You release one of the most dangerous carnivores in the whole galaxy in an enclosed area, and all you can say is OOPS!?" After his rant, Jack ducked down as blaster fire went off behind him. "And now there's more droids!" He shouted as he turned and began to fire into the group of several battle droids. Rolling to the side, he avoided a flurry of blaster bolts while firing two of his own, hitting one in the head.

Once he rounded a corner, Jack placed his back against the wall to avoid several more shots. Once the droids stopped, he instantly retaliated, firing five shots in quick succession. Three more droids fell, leaving just three left to take care of. Jack could hear the beast roaring in the arena, but knew better to keep focus on the droids.

Seeing as it was, Jack would run back towards the droids, dodging left to avoid their first volley with ease before reaching them. He would blast the first in the head before dodging behind the second to get the third to shoot it for him. When it was just the last one, it actually put up its hands as it dropped its blaster. "I surrender!"

"Not happening." Firing once, he took the droid's head clean off and sent it crashing into the arena below, ending the small firefight relatively quickly. "Good thing it was just regular battle droids." Looking over the edge, he could see that the Rancor seemed to have grown exhausted, as the Jedi were now given some room to breath._ 'Where's Ventress? Eh, whatever.'_

Jumping down, Jack was followed by Artoo as he walked up to the to Jedi. "I see you were having your own fun down here. Didn't realize Rancor's would make good play pets."

"Very funny." Anakin responded.

"I thought it was." Jack mumbled as the Knight took Stinky, placing the pack on his back instead. The four then ran through the gate, Jack taking the lead once more as he would lead them to the back hangar. Luckily there wasn't any more resistance, so it took little time to reach the platform.

"Skywalker to air support. Mark my position." Anakin said as he activated his wrist communicator. "We need a medical ship immediately."

With the small break, Jack looked over to the sick Huttlet, seeing it's heavy breathing and weak appearance. Even with his attitude towards it, he had to admit it was a painful sight to see a baby seem so close to death. "Hang in there little guy." Jack said as he lightly rubbed Stinky's head. "We'll get you all fixed up soon."

It took a minute, but a gunship was approaching quickly, hovering just over the edge of the platform to pick the four up. "We'll get the slug here to the docs, then we're coming back for Rex."

"Come on, hurry, hurry!" The clone called out to them. However, before they could even reach the ship, it was shot down by a vulture droid, sending the gunship crashing into the jungle area below.

"Blast!"

"Incoming!"

Making a turn around, the vulture fighter then started to fire at the group, the Jedi igniting their lightsabers once more and blocking the shots. Slowing to a stop, the vulture droid then landed behind them and freed its wings, turning it into a more ground fighter.

"Oh what even is that crap." Jack groaned before having to jump back, avoiding several shots from the droid. Firing at it only proved that the armor was too strong, and with its range and awareness getting close to it was impossible for Anakin or Ahsoka.

"Have you ever fought one of these before!?"

"Nope, but there's a first time for everything."

"Well I'm open to suggestions!" Jack shouted as he had to duck and turn to avoid the droid's shots. He couldn't move much more back, otherwise he'd be falling off the edge.

"Buzz of laser beak!" Ahsoka shouted to the vulture, getting its attention. Unfortunately however, that proved to be a mistake as it kicked her with one of its leg-wings, sending her off the edge and left hanging.

"Ahsoka!" Jack and Anakin both shouted.

"Don't worry about me." Ahsoka responded as she tried to pull herself back up.

"Ah… crap." Jack muttered as he started to run right at the vulture droid, firing at its head to try and stun it. It didn't don much, but he was able to get under it due to the bolts knocking the head back. It then flung one of its leg-wings at him, to which he rolled forward to avoid, grabbing Ahsoka's dropped lightsaber as he did.

"Ahsoka!" Running to Ahsoka, he saw the Togruta prepared to throw herself into the air, and reared his arm back with the lightsaber hilt before throwing it up. "Catch!"

The Togruta needed no other words as she pulled with all her might to throw herself into the air, using the Force to catch the saber as she flipped over him. Once she landed, she ran at the distracted vulture droid and cut a chunk out of one of its legs.

With the droid down and stunned, nothing stopped Anakin from running up one of the other legs and impaling its head. As the Jedi jumped off it, the former fighter collapsed and fell off the platform.

With the threat gone, the Jedi turned off their lightsabers while Jack sighed in relief. He was pretty sure he had almost been killed five times now in the last couple of minutes. Most from the stupid fighter.

"Good distraction, Snips." Anakin said. "Let me guess, you meant to do that."

"Distraction?" Ahsoka questioned. "I cut his wing off, mortally wounded him. I don't know what you were doing."

"Can we save this for when I have the strength to add into the banter?" Jack asked, not really tired but mentally exhausted. Kamino trained him to be a soldier, but he's pretty sure it didn't train him to fight alone with two Jedi.

"Sure, you'll have a minute while I try and contact Hawke."

"Don't go Shorty on me Anakin."

"What does that mean?"

"You know exactly what it means Shorty!"

"Come on, I can't reach him." Anakin said, turning back to the others. "I think they're jamming our signal to the ships. I'm going to try Rex next."

"Good luck."

"Captain Rex, respond."

"I read you General." Rex said over the comms, blaster fire clear in the background. "We're pinned down in the courtyard."

"Do you need help?" There was no response from Rex, only the sound of more blaster fire. "I'll take that as a yes Captain. Stand by, we're on our way."

"Anakin, we can't just go back." Jack spoke up. "If we go back now Stinky probably won't make it to even reach a shuttle. How do you suppose we get him back to his dad if he dies before then? We'll be framed for his death. Which means no treaty, no supply routes and equals a war with half our armies cut off from supply lines."

"Hawke will get here eventually." Anakin responded. "Right now, we need Rex to help us find a ship."

Artoo then began to chatter, and the sound of droidikas' approaching filled their ears. "Great, rolling death balls." Ahsoka said.

"Why can't we get a break?"

The droidikas then stopped and were about to start firing, when suddenly several blasts came from behind the group and demolished them, sending scrape back towards Ventress, who simply cut them apart as she approached.

"I see I got here just in time for the fun." Hawke said as he stopped between the group and Ventress, stepping off the speeder he came on.

"Master Hawke!"

"About time you showed up."

"Hey, give a guy some slack." Hawke said as he turned at the Padawan and Knight's responses. "I had to land down in the forest to just so that I could fly up on a speeder. Not my fault trouble follows you everywhere you go." Hawke then turned back to Ventress, seeing the Sith approach with her sabers activated. "Why don't you all get a move on? I'll keep Ventress busy while you get Stinky out of here."

"Hawke, are you sure?" Jack asked.

"Don't worry Jack." Hawke responded as he pulled his lightsaber out, exposing the smooth, silver metal of the curved hilt. He then activated it, revealing the green blade to everyone. "Saber combat is my specialty. I'll be fine, take my speeder and go find a ship outside of combat."

"Well, you heard him." Anakin said, sitting on the speeder. "Snips, you and Jack will have to find somewhere to sit."

"Oh, great, I get to hang on for dear life." Jack groaned as he sat on the front of the speeder, seeing a ship in the distance. "We got a ship straight ahead we can use."

"That's convenient." Anakin commented as Ahsoka got on the back. "Alright, hold on!"

"Wait don't go fast you psycho!" Jack yelled as he grabbed onto the speeder.

"Alright Ventress." Hawke said as he held his left hand behind his back, pointing the tip of his saber towards the assassin. "You now have my undivided attention. Let's see how well you do against me."

"You overestimate yourself Jedi." Ventress responded as she leapt forward, swinging her sabers down. Hawke parried the move with ease, keeping his body centered as he then jabbed at the Sith. She easily recovered and blocked the attack, the two now dueling with higher speed.

Hawke would parry or dodge Ventress' slashes, keeping himself safe from the cutting blades while attempting to get a strike in. Having learned Makashi, the second form in lightsaber combat, Hawke was a skilled swordsman. The form emphasized simple footwork precise attacks, making it perfect for fighting against Sith fighters such as Ventress.

"I must say I'm slightly impressed." Hawke commented as he blocked a slash on his right, the two's sabers crackling as they pushed against one another. "Been awhile since I got a warm up fighting someone."

"Then prepare for the real fight." Ventress would then go on an all out assault on Hawke, forcing the Knight to walk back as he dodged or parried. Every slash or jab made would be blocked or parried, with neither side missing a beat. Recognizing this, Hawke would use the Force to jump over Ventress and land behind her, kicking her side in an attempt to off balance her.

Doing so had worked, but Ventress quickly countered with a charged Force Push, sending the Jedi flying back through the open gate.

"Stop right there!" Hawke looked up from his downed position to see two battle droids pointing their blasters at them, and stared normally at them.

"Are you really trying this?" In a swift move, Hawke was to his feet and slashed the two droids apart. Using the Force, he then threw the upper half of one at Ventress, who cut it in response and the two began to duel once more. The two's duel would always be moving, with Hawke backing up to keep Ventress far enough to properly block her incoming slashes.

"Please tell me this isn't all you have." Hawke said as they separated.

"This is far from it." Ventress growled as she connected her two curved blades, forming a dual sided lightsaber.

"Okay, now it's fun." Hawke grinned, taking his stance to prepare for the next round of their dual to start.

* * *

Meanwhile, Anakin and the others had made their way to the landing platform in the distance, them and Artoo landing just a few meters away from the old ship. The ramp was open with crates outside of it, meaning someone was loading it for takeoff.

"We're taking this junker?" Ahsoka asked. "We'd be better off just riding the speeder all the way to Tatooine."

"Jack, get aboard and see what he have to work with. Prep the engines." Anakin ordered, knowing the boy was good with old ships. "Assuming it has engines."

"Don't worry sir. The ship you found me on looked like this over 50 years before I took it." Jack responded as he approached the ramp. "This ship will do just fine..." He then stopped as he looked up the ramp, seeing two battle droids looking down at him. Both sides only looked at each other, looking almost as surprised as the other.

"Jack?"

Breaking out of the silence, Jack quickly raised his blaster and took out the two droids, watching their bodies fall of the ramp with a thud. "Clear." He said simply as he walked up the ramp, being followed by Ahsoka, Anakin and Artoo.

Taking the main pilot seat, Jack would go through all the systems, checking to see what worked and what didn't. "Okay, first thing's first. Life-support check."

"Shouldn't we check the engines first?" Ahsoka asked as she and Anakin took separate seats, the Togruta now carrying Stinky again.

"No use having a ship if we can't breathe in space is there?" Jack asked as he took his helmet off. "Alright, Life-support's clear. Engines…" He trailed as he hit the engines button, hearing the sounds of the old engines whirring. "Better than expected, worse than I hoped." After a second press, the engines would give out, only to try and activate again. "Okay, I see the problem." Jack then turned to Artoo. "Hey Artoo, try starting the ignition couplers and open up the fuel lifters all the way."

The astromech was then quick to go, plugging into one of the consoles and doing as instructed. In a couple of seconds, the ship came to life, everything powered up and the engines active. "Thank you Artoo." The astromech beeped in response, getting a chuckle from him. "Well, let's get a move on." With another press, the ship would begin to take off and Jack grabbed the controls, now flying the ship away from the platform. "And we are airborne."

"Good work you two." Anakin said. "Now back to work. The troops still need our help. Charge the main guns."

"How are we going to help?" Ahsoka asked. "Stinky's getting sicker and sicker."

"But we promised Rex we'd help him."

"Anakin, we can't just let the little guy get more sick." Jack responded. "He needs medical attention now. Rex can handle himself fine. And look! He has a ton of reinforcements plus Hawke is there even. We have to go now if we're going to save Stinky."

Anakin would then weigh the options, looking at the small Huttlet whimper as he struggled to breath. Coming to a decision, Anakin turned on the ship's comms. "Captain Rex? General Skywalker."

"Yes, General?" The clone questioned over the comms.

"We're not going to be able to help you."

"Don't worry about us General. We'll be all right." Rex said as he saw the ship. "The mission always comes first sir."

Taking the conversation as his orders, Jack would then make his way up, taking a safe way to head for the nearest Republic cruiser he could. With finally a break from combat, the Jedi and soldier could take a minute to breathe.

"Master, today I did my best to stay calm, focused and when I did, everything seemed so easy."

"I really wish you'd stop jinxing us at every break." Jack responded to the Padawan, as mere seconds later an explosion went off near the ship, causing it rock. "Ya see what I mean!?" It really shouldn't have been a surprise that the whole fleet was in the middle of a heated battle, but Jack was looking for a way to vent, and it worked.

Pulling the controls to the side, Jack was able to narrowly avoid a squadron of Republic fighters dogfighting against several vulture droids. After that, three more vultures were flying behind them, attempting to shoot down the freighter ship they were in. "Hold on! I'm gonna try and get us to the cruiser as best I can!"

"Hold on to whaaaaaa!" Interrupting the Padawan, Jack quickly rolled the whole ship, spinning a fully 180 degrees while simultaneously flying up, causing the droid fighters to fly past them. He would then take a sharp left, avoiding a Republic bomber as he then began to fly at the ship's top speed.

Even then, the vultures were quick to recover and chase them once more, irritating the pilot. "Blast, we can't get away with speeds this slow. We're carrying too much weight right now."

"Well then what do we do?" Ahsoka asked.

"We'll have to open the cargo hold and dump everything in there." Jack answered. "Ahsoka, I need you to-"

"Already on it!" Ahsoka responded, getting out of her seat, placing Stinky on it and heading to the cargo bay.

"Wait!" By the time he already called out to her, she had closed the door behind her and went into the cargo hold. "I do not understand that girl."

"Oh, so it's not just me then." Anakin spoke up, looking at the cameras linked to the cargo hold.

The Togruta wasted little time as she looked around. "Alright, opening hatch." She mumbled as she pressed a button, watching as the doors open and give her a view of the droids following them. "Alright Jack, I got the hold open, now what?"

"Hold onto something!"

"What am I supposed to hold on toooooooo!?" The Togruta shouted as Jack pulled up on the ship, climbing up straight vertically as the droids followed. With nothing to grab on to, the Togruta fell for several seconds before a connection tube came out from the roof. Grabbing it, Ahsoka managed to save herself just moments before it would have been out of reach, and she would of plummeted to the planet's surface.

"Stupid greaser ship!" Ahsoka screamed as she held onto the tube as tightly as she could. She then looked up as she heard screeching, and saw that the crates were starting to slide off of the ship. And right at her. Igniting her lightsaber, she would cut one of the crates that had come close to hitting her, saving herself once again from a painful fate.

With the droids right behind them, the crates would crash down right on top of them, destroying the ships easily and taking them off their tails. With the threat gone, jack then spun and flew straight down, giving Ahsoka the opening to pull herself right into the cargo hold. Once there, Jack evened it out, causing her to land on the floor as the tube went back into place.

The Padawan gasped for air as she laid down, resting her head down for a second. "I take back everything I said. I love you, you greaser of a ship." Once she was able, she walked back up to the flight deck, sighing as she entered and sat back down, putting Stinky on her lap. "Sorry I'm late, it was a bit of a process getting the doors open."

"Yeah, and by far the much harder way." Anakin responded.

"What?"

"The cargo release switch is right in front of you." Jack said as he took a second to point to the button, which was one of the only red buttons on Ahsoka's side of the ship.

The Padawan looked at the button in temporary shock for several seconds before letting her shoulders go down, appearing annoyed and tired. "Can we just… not talk about that? Act like it never happened?"

"If you didn't almost fall out I wouldn't." Jack chuckled. "But I'll give you a break, just this once."

"So all we have to do now is land, right?"

"Well… normally yes. Buuuuuuuuut, there's a small problem."

"And what's that?" Anakin asked.

In response, the ship jerked violently as a blast hit their side. "The ship we need to land in currently thinks we're the enemy."

"You could have said something!" Anakin responded, going to the open comms. "Jedi cruiser, hold your fire!"

"Who is that?" A clone asked over the comms. "Incoming ship, identify yourself."

"This is General Skywalker. We have Jabba the Hutt's son." He needs medical attention. We must board immediately."

"Stand by."

"Stand by? That's helpful." Ahsoka said.

"Welcome to the world of the military." Jack mumbled before beginning to preform evasive maneuvers once more. He was able to avoid incoming fire from four more vulture droids, flying between the Republic cruiser's twin bridges while spinning to fit through it. Jack's evasion seemed almost second nature, as he fluently dodged each and every bolt of plasma that would come at them. Every tilt and every strafe kept several shots from landing their mark, and the calm face he kept while doing so showed just how natural he was at evasion.

"Any time now!"

"General Skywalker, we lifted the deflector shields on the lower level." A clone said over the comms.

"We're on our way."

"Time for a good show." Jack said as he began flying across the length of the Republic Vindicator, strafing left and right to avoid incoming bolts.

"We've made it." Ahsoka said to encourage Stinky, the Huttlet chattering slightly as she did. "We've made it."

Jack then pulled up to avoid the droid fighters, his eyes widening as he saw two of them fly past them towards the now open hangar. "No, no, no!" He then watched in horror as the four fighters all crashed right into it, several large explosions going off as a result.

"General Skywalker, abort! Abort!" The clone was able to make through the comms before they were cut, causing Jack to look down and shake his head.

"Blast!" Refocusing his attention, he began to fly as fast as he could, avoiding the two remaining fighters as he flew under the cruiser. "Change of plans, we're taking this freighter all the way to Tatooine." Avoiding the carnage around them, jack spun a full 360 to dodge two destroyed ships as he pulled up, allowing the two fighters to crash into them. "Just have to get out of this fight first."

* * *

"Ventress, I know you're here." Back on the planet's surface, Hawke was walking through the monastery, entering a large room with upper platforms and pillars around them. "Even amongst all this chaos, I can easily pick out your anger from everything else."

"Ragh!" Quickly turning, he activated his lightsaber in order to block the Sith's downward strike on him.

"It'll take more than that to catch me off guard." Hawke grinned as he pushed them apart, moving his saber left and right to parry each of Ventress' attacks. The two seemed fairly even in speed, albeit Hawke making more use of his free movement to keep Ventress from doing anything damaging.

But even then, his precise attacks weren't able to land any decisive blows on the Sith herself. The chances of the fight winning easily were slim for either, and both could match blow for blow in any clash they had.

Jumping to the side, Hawke avoided Ventress' double slash before attempting to pierce her, clicking his tongue as she parried it away. He then attempted to deliver several more swift attacks, getting little as the assassin would block and push them away each time.

Using the Force, Hawke would push the Sith away a small distance as she used her sabers to stop herself quickly. "You know, I have to admit you almost managed to keep your master's plan away from us." Hawke said as she recovered. "But I'm aware of your attempt at turning the Hutts against us."

"Then the truth dies with you." Ventress growled as she began using her superior acrobatics to put Hawke on the defensive. He would move from side to side, jumping back and parrying to avoid her assault, finding the speed difficult to follow at times. Even then, he always managed to just keep himself away from the assassin.

Trying to find a way to get out of the predicament, Hawke wasn't aware that he was backing into a pillar before he connected with it. "Blast!" Now cornered, he had to rely entirely on his ability to dodge Ventress, moving his upper body constantly to avoid getting cut in two. It was after eight full swings of her sabers before Hawke recovered and kicked her stomach, knocking her away and giving him back breathing room.

Jumping up to one of the platforms, Hawke quickly brought his guard up and blocked another slash from Ventress, dodging to the side again and jumping out through one of the wall openings.

Landing outside, he stepped to the left, avoiding the grazing of the assassin's blades as they cut the ground apart. The two separated several meters, standing in their stances as they readied themselves to continue.

"Jumping to Hyperspace now." Jack said, Hawke's comm going off before the Jedi and Sith lost their direct sense on the ship's occupants.

"Well then, looks like Jack and the others had managed to get out of here." Hawke commented, smirking at Ventress. "Which means the pale, bald Sith in front of me has failed."

The assassin growled in response as she attempted to strike at Hawke, only for the Jedi to parry and block at every turn. With their sabers connected, he'd kick Ventress once more, causing her to lose her left saber, to which the Jedi caught in his left. "I wonder who's Kyber crystal this was before you made it Bleed." Putting the saber onto his belt, he prepared for the next strike as Ventress rushed at him.

Even though Ventress' powerful and overwhelming style could effect most Jedi, Hawke's style was almost a perfect counter for the Sith's, with only Form III being superior in the situation.

"You have no more reason to fight in this battle Ventress." Hawke said, pointing his saber at the woman as they separated once more. "Lay down your weapon and surrender. I'm sure the Council will be merciful if you come quietly."

"Not today, Jedi." Ventress responded as she jumped over the edge, landing on a vulture droid that was flying away. Leaving Hawke to turn his lightsaber off and watch his opponent flee away from the battlefield.

"So much for that." He sighed, starting to walk back to the monastery while looking at the Sith's saber on his belt. "Poor thing, what did she do to you?"

Hawke, like most Jedi, knew that the Kyber crystals were living crystals. They were deeply connected in the Force and often represented whoever first found them. It could be in their color, their balance in the Force, or most commonly how their lightsabers turned out in control. But for a Kyber to Bleed, it must be put through something truly unnatural.

It was not common knowledge of the Bleeding process, in fact Hawke as a Jedi was not supposed to learn of such a horrid practice. But his curiosity on all things in regards to the Force brought it to that, and he was appalled at his findings. TO make a Kyber go through Bleeding, you had to put it through unimaginable pain from yourself. Force the pain directly into it and harm it beyond return.

The poor crystals can't handle the suffering of the process, which causes it to Bleed and turn red. It was the signal that it was gone, and that it will never heal from the pain it feels. To a living creature, it's like suffering a permanent scar, or losing a limb. And then there's the state even beyond Bleeding, where a Kyber crystal cracks. But to this day, there has only been one being to push it that far, and it's been gone for centuries.

"I'm sorry for what you've been put through." Hawke said as he dismantled the saber and held the red crystal in his palm. "I swear, I'll find a way to heal the wound you've suffered through." He then gently wrapped his fist around it, keeping sure to avoid breaking it. "No matter how long it takes."


	8. Brining Stinky Home

"That was some good flying there Jack." Anakin spoke to the pilot, who was leaning into hi chair as they flew through hyperspace.

"I would've preferred a smaller ship, but this junker worked great with maneuvering." Jack responded as he looked at the window, watching the light go bye as they traveled. "The propulsion systems worked almost instantly every time I made a move, it's like I could read it inside out."

"It's a good thing someone could." Ahsoka said.

"Eh, it isn't as hard flying this thing as you think." Looking to the Huttlet, Jack sighed as he rested back. "There's a small med section in this ship. Why not see if there's something in there that can treat Stinky long enough to get him home."

"Sure thing." Ahsoka responded, standing up and carrying the Huttlet out of the door and to the medical station.

"I hate dealing with Hutts."

"Done it before?" Anakin asked.

"Several times." Jack answered. "During my early training, I was often sent on my own to do trial runs. I was sent to a planet and would integrate myself with the local power. The planet I was sent to was Nal Hutta. Not the worst sleaze-ball of a planet but far from the best."

Jack then sighed as his chair spun to face the Jedi Knight. "I did work for them, learn the ropes on how to be good at what I do now. Not as grand of a scale as setting explosives in the middle of a battle field, but enough to get me to do that. In fact, I'd say I have quite a few favors I can call in to any Hutt if I get caught in too bad of a spot."

"And they'll honor it?"

"I mean, just knowing the favor code will at least buy me a few minutes." Jack chuckled. "I'd have done a bad job if I was caught by the authorities, so I don't focus on getting stuck in that bad of a spot."

"What made you leave? And not the make up story you told Hawke and me. The truth." Anakin asked.

"It's that obvious?"

"That scar on the back of your head isn't from the removal or implantation of control chip." Anakin responded. "Even then, removing it would make you unstable, with it being connected to your brain. So what is it?"

"A cut." Jack answered. "From a knife that my instructor gave me to specialize in close quarters. I had to do a move to flip it behind me, dodge an attack, and catch it without missing a beat."

"It's horizontal."

"My people have a very unique way of fighting. And I had to find ways to be even a cut above them to survive as long as I had." Jack chuckled. "Wanna know something funny?" The boy asked as he pointed up to his hair. "This isn't even my real hair color."

"Really? And how did it change?"

"Started dying it halfway through my escape. I figured I'd start having them looking for the wrong kid as I was getting out of dodge." Jack explained. "I didn't realize how potent the stuff I grabbed was. The stuff lasts four months on a single coat."

"Interesting, and why you left?"

"Who would fight for a group that takes kids who are six and brutally train them to become elite soldiers?" Jack questioned back. "They nearly wiped all of our memories of our life before. No parents, no idea of home, I don't even remember my name."

"I see… and yet you chose to fight for the Republic?"

"I told you before, I have nothing else to go to but a dangerous job. I can't go back to a normal life, not when I don't fully understand what my life before was." Jack then looked up to the roof, sighing as he crossed his arms behind his head. "I had a few choices to choose. Fight for the Republic, go to the Separatists, become a bounty hunter or go to some security crew for something. The Republic just felt like the right one was all."

"Well, at least you chose the right side." Anakin responded as Ahsoka walked in with Stinky. "How is he?"

"Not sure, the medicine hasn't kicked in yet." The Togruta responded.

"Well, we got time to kill so I'm gonna finish up my checkup." Jack said, stepping up on his chair and reaching for one of the overhead panels. "Artoo, got a torch I can borrow?" The astromech beeped in response and shot out a thin cylinder, to which the boy caught and spun in his hand. "Thanks little guy."

"What are you doing?"

"Attempting to fix a little problem we have right now." Jack responded as he began to cut through the metal, removing the rectangular panel he cut open to expose the wiring. "This ship has an old power source, which means it's starting to limit how much we can really use this ship. So I want to try and fix the current flow around this freighter, that way we can use at least three systems instead of one with the engines drawing a good amount of power."

"And before you ask, I have done this before." Jack interrupted Ahsoka's potential question, placing the torch in his mouth as he started to work on the wires, taking some out and placing them in different imports. "Hopefully this thing has a bit more juice in it then I think."

"How much time do you think this would take?" Anakin asked.

"With my current amount of awareness and limited use of one arm?" Jack started as he fumbled around the wires, wincing as several sparks blew, burning his already injured arm. "Probably a little after we get out of hyperspace. Thing needs a lot of replacement parts as well. Probably gonna need to completely rework the whole thing when we get it back to Republic space."

"You plan on keeping this pile of junk?" Ahsoka questioned, staring at the boy in mild confusion.

"Of course, I always loved these kinds of ships." Jack responded as he grabbed the torch and brought it up to the wires, cutting through a few and mixing them. "Experienced, calibrated, and doesn't have that awful new-ship smell."

"Yeah, instead it has an old-ship smell that rivals Stinky."

"Hey, that's experience you smell. It's different." Jack then sighed as he began sparking across the panel, trying to fix whatever he could. "And even then, this ship could be pretty useful for stealth missions. It doesn't have Republic recognition and is better fit for carrying supplies. There's even enough space for a small ship or even escape pods. I may use this when sent on rescue or relief missions."

"You didn't seem to like the first one you were on." Anakin brought up, reminding Jack of their espionage attack on Admiral Trench.

"That was because we were in a ship that required an entire crew to properly preform all tasks." Jack said as he recoiled from a decent amount of sparks. "Plus it was too big for my taste, this ship is at least mobile unlike that stealth ship we took. I prefer being able to do most actions by myself when flying and being able to go freely."

"Not much of a team player huh?" Ahsoka asked.

"No, Shorty, I just like knowing exactly what's going on." Jack said back, smirking as he felt the glare aimed at the back of his head. She really doesn't like the nickname. Or him. Probably both. "Saves the error of mistakes and shows if I did everything right or messed up bad."

A larger surge in the panel then went off and caused a small blast. The surge actually went off enough to send Jack back and down to the floor. "Blast!"

"Jack? Are you okay?" Anakin asked as he and Ahsoka went over and helped him up, watching as the boy kept swearing under his breath.

"I'm-I'm fine." Jack stuttered, his hands shaking from the recent shock. "Just the circuits were more unstable then I predicted. N-nothing I can't… can't correct myself on."

"Oh no, Artoo and I will handle the repairs from here." Anakin said, turning the boy around. "You should get some rest, last time I checked you only got an hour or two before the attacks earlier today. I think you're starting to slow down."

"I-I'm fine."

"And that shock certainly didn't help." Anakin said, picking up the torch from the ground. "Try and get some rest, you'll push yourself too far if you keep up like this."

Artoo then beeped after, getting Jack to sigh. "F-f-f-fine." Walking out, Jack carefully made his way down to the cargo hold and situated himself down against the wall, trying to steady himself from the recent shock. "B-breath Jack, it was j-just a shock."

Feeling his body keeping up the movement, he knew there was only one thing that would work. Forcing his breathing to lower, Jack could feel his body cool down and his heart slow rapidly. One of the perks of being able to actively control your heartbeat was that it was significantly easier to calm your body and fall asleep.

With his body slowing to halt, Jack let his eyes close and drift into slumber. It was the most relaxed he's been in a week. From playing cat and mouse against one of the best tactical minds in history, fighting grand scale battles, confronting a traitor and now rescuing a Hutt's child, Jack could say that it's been a very eventful week. And that's not including being blown up and dealing with an annoying Padawan on top of it all.

It was the first in a long time that Jack embraced sleep, but of course it wasn't a peaceful slumber. Voices plaguing his dream, one of him standing in a misty void, as he attempted to make sense of them.

_"It's getting ready to fire, pull up! Pull up!"_

_"How does this feel Clanker!?"_

_"General Grievous, you're much shorter than I was expecting."_

_"Why did I think that would work? Why?"_

_"Senator get down!"_

_"Hey, hey, hey. You're not allowed to sleep Ahsoka. Keep your eyes open and focus on me. I know we don't like each other but I'd rather not have to lose another commanding officer."_

_"Don't be so hard on yourself. You made a mistake, it happens to all of us. You survived, so that means you have a duty to Ace and the others to learn from it and get better. My squadron will be under your command in the next wave, so get better at following and giving order, alright?"_

**_'Nu sua tu'iea ateitis__!'_**

* * *

As the dreams became clearer, Jack was shocked out of his sleep during the last one, waking up as the ship rocked back and forth. "Oh what now!?" Jack shouted as the ship rocked again. Making his way up the stairs, he was stopped as a sudden force sent him forward, crashing his face into the door.

Before he could straighten his vision, the ship jerked again and he was sent to the right, hitting into the hull with a loud thud. "Anakin if you're flying this recklessly I will not be happy!"

Soon after the ship began to speed up but most of the crazy flying was over with, giving Jack the time he needed to get up and steady himself. "Ah… my head." Walking to the door, Jack opened it just as a hologram of Hawke came up.

"Hawke are you there?" Anakin spoke.

"I'm here, have you made it to Tatooine yet?" The Knight asked.

"Almost, we-"

"You were shot down again weren't you?" It was unsettling how Hawke knew just from hearing Anakin say almost, but fair given the two's history.

"Yes." Ahsoka and Jack both said, appearing in the hologram for Hawke.

"The ship is too slow." Anakin responded. "There hasn't been enough time to properly modify it before we were ambushed."

"I probably could have handled things without getting shot down. But I just had to sleep huh?"

"You made Jack sleep?" Hawke asked. "But isn't he the one best at flying old ships like the one you're in?"

"He got shocked!" Anakin countered to Hawke. "He wouldn't have been much help focusing with him jittering all over the place."

"I just had to stop my heart for a second, but you didn't give me time to say that." All three Jedi looked at Jack, as if he was growing a second head. "What, I know at least you two know I can do that from when you first found me."

"Look, I haven't finished up the fight you left me with yet." Hawke said, getting back on topic. "I'll try and see if Shyira can make it but I can't promise anything. Good luck." Hawke's hologram then cut off, leaving the three to crash.

"So much for reinforcements."

"How long was I even out before you got us shot?" Jack asked.

"It took awhile."

"Three hours."

"You chose to set up an offense instead of defense didn't you?" Getting no response, Jack just sighed as flames formed around the ship, signaling they've entered Tatooine's atmosphere. "So this is what Obi-Wan meant when he said he hoped I wouldn't get your behavior."

"Would you just stop!"

The ship then soon hit sand, sliding across a short hill before going further, grinding down into the desert plains as it started to slow. The force took Jack off his feet, sending him back with his helmet denting into the wall next to him, getting a recoil from him.

_'Too close for comfort.'_ Jack mentally sighed in relief as they slowed down. Had his helmet actually hit him, it would have likely crushed his skull on impact. And he'd rather not lose his head just from forgetting to put his helmet back on.

"Everyone okay?" Anakin asked as he groaned from standing up.

"I'm alive and so is Stinky, so we're fine." Ahsoka answered.

"Artoo and I didn't get hit by my helmet, so we're good too." Jack spoke, looking at his now misshaped helmet in the wall. "I don't think I'll be getting that helmet back any time soon though."

"Alright, let's get moving." Making their way to the cargo hold, Jack hit the switch to open it to reveal the endless sea of sand.

"I hate deserts." Jack mumbled as he was the first to jump onto the hot sand, already feeling it enter through his boots.

"Jabba's palace is on the far side of the Dune Sea." Anakin informed as Ahsoka placed Stinky into the backpack on him. "We'd better hurry if we're going to make it by morning."

The two Jedi then jumped down next to Jack, with R2 being the most reluctant to going down. "Oh don't worry Artoo, it's nothing but sand here for the most part. I promise to volunteer Ahsoka to clean your servos once we're done here." Jack said, getting the droid to jet it's way down.

"Hey."

"He's down, that's what's important." Jack simply responded when the Togruta tried to argue, following Anakin as they began to traverse the desert. The droid blaster was destroyed in the crash, meaning the only weapons Jack had now was Rex's pistol and his knife. It left little for him to work with, but he could handle himself as long as he kept himself on his toes.

* * *

The travel was long, it wasn't for three hours till the suns began to go down, but even then the heat was still up. And even then, once they were down it would get much colder, meaning that it would be a risk for the two Jedi to stay out long without any water or protection. Luckily Jack could handle both the heat and cold well, his body capable of adapting to the environment quickly. However his armor made it increasingly uncomfortable to move, and the hardened vomit on his chest plate was pulling in heat.

Ahsoka attempted to start a conversation with Anakin, but it ended up with him dodging the obvious attempt at trying to learn his past. Surprisingly though, Jack never once said anything, favoring to keep quite as he kept even with the pace the Jedis made.

After another hour, Jack's ear twitched at the same time as Ahsoka and Anakin stopped. All three of them felt as if something bad was going to happen, as it usually does. "We're not alone." Ahsoka spoke.

"I sense it too." Anakin responded, narrowing his eyes. "It's the dark side of the Force."

"So, I can't sense the Force but I can still feel it. What does that mean?" Jack asked, looking to the Jedi Knight.

"Someone strong enough to be sensed from a large distance. Dooku." Anakin answered. "And he must be coming for the Hutt. It's time we split up."

"We'll face it together, Master." Ahsoka said back.

"Not this time Snips." Anakin responded. "I have a far more important mission for you."

"More important than keeping you alive?"

"Ahsoka, I need you to trust me on this one."

"Dooku's going to be going after you, isn't he?" Jack asked, figuring what was going to happen.

"He'll sense me more than anyone else. And he'll likely think I'll have Stinky with me." Anakin nodded as he reached around and took the Huttlet out of his backpack. "I'm trusting you three to get Stinky back to his dad."

"You can count on us." Ahsoka responded, taking the Huttlet from her master.

"Good luck. And may the Force be with you." Once done, the Knight began to walk straight forward, taking the direct route to Jabba's palace.

Seeing it, Jack would then begin to walk at an angle from the Knight, following the direction but making sure they're separate enough to keep away from any potential risk of encountering the Sith Dooku.

"Hey, any way to help with carrying this little guy?" Ahsoka asked after another hour of walking. "If anything happens I'll need my arms free."

"Sure, I might have something." Jack said as he took his arm gear, freeing both of them. Knowing the importance of moving, he kept walking as he then ripped both his sleeves several times while leaving his armor behind. "Here, go in front of me."

"Okay." Ahsoka responded, now walking ahead of Jack as he began to work. Wrapping the ripped clothing, Jack would do his best to create a makeshift pouch on Ahsoka's back, using his remaining cloth to make a sleeve across her chest to give stability.

Once done, he took the Huttlet and placed it in the pouch, being careful as he checked the stability. When he was sure it would hold, he let the Huttlet go, and sighed in relief as the cloth held him firmly. "Alright, pouch successfully made."

"Thanks, you're pretty useful when you aren't running your mouth." Ahsoka said back, getting an eye roll from Jack.

"Just keeping it kid friendly for Stinky here before I get serious on the insults with you." Jack responded. "Besides, it's already night and you need your strength to keep warm. I'll mock you once we're off this sand ball planet."

"Gee, I can't wait."

"That's good to know." Jack chuckled as he looked over the horizon, seeing a B'omar monastery in the distance. "If there's anything I remember about the Hutts, most like to stay in the B'omar structures in the Outer Rim. So if I were betting, I'd put all my credits on Jabba's palace being just a little over a mile away."

"Finally, we're almost done with this mission."

"You know, I really wish you'd stop jinxing us like that and stay quiet." Jack groaned as they continued to walk. For almost the whole time after, it seemed as if they really were in the clear. However just when there was a hill between them and the palace, the two stopped.

Sensing the danger, Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber while Jack drew his pistol from his belt as three IG-100 droids rose from underneath the sand. "Magnaguards." Jack clicked his tongue as the droids' staffs all activated, the electricity running across the edges boding poor signs for the duo.

The leader of the pack then spun its staff at high speeds, swinging at Ahsoka as she dodged back. Jack would attempt to fire at the droid, only for one of the others to swing down on his arm and knock the pistol to the ground. He would then duck down to avoid the next attack.

Jack was then put on the defensive, weaving left and right to avoid the Magnaguard's staff at all costs. A shock from that could damage him immensely, and since he was a soldier and not an important figure like a Jedi, he knew that the staff was set to kill. He would have to wait for an opening, one that would likely not come as long as the droid had its high speed.

"Come on." Jack whispered as he rolled behind the droid, kicking at its leg in an attempt to off-balance it. However all it accomplished was angering the droid and stinging his foot. "Blast!" Leaning to the left, he avoided the next swing from the droid before ducking and throwing a punch to the droid's chest. And while in the heat of the moment, Jack made the damaging decision to use his injured arm. "Ahh!"

"Jack!" Ahsoka shouted in worry before having to jump away from the two Magnaguards she had to deal with. As she landed, she lost her footing and tumbled down the hill, causing the two to lose sight of each other.

Jack had no time to recover as the Magnaguard then kicked Jack in the chest, sending him sliding back to the same hill side Ahsoka fell, making him roll and land on the evened ground on the bottom chest first. Groaning, he spat out sand as he tried to pick himself up, flinching as he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. "Ah… that's broken. Definitely... definitely broken."

The three droids then slide down the hill, approaching Jack as he managed to get to his feet. "Great, where's Ahsoka when you actually need her." Just as the head droid was about to swing at him, a lightsaber ignited and the droid was vertically cut in half, having been pounced by Ahsoka.

"You rang?"

"Oh look, a Padawan who can actually listen." Jack countered as the two dodged back to avoid the remaining Magnaguards. "Where were you for the whole day?"

"Funny way of saying thanks." Ahsoka countered as she blocked one of the Magnaguard's staffs, being aided as Jack kicked its chest and knocked it back a bit.

"Oh yeah, I never knew you're supposed to be grateful for being bait." Jack said as he went back behind Ahsoka, the Padawan blocking the two droids. "How well could you do against one?"

"I could easily beat it if I had the opening. Why?"

"Cause I just thought of something reckless!' Jack shouted as he ran past Ahsoka and jumped, planting both his feet on the back of one of the Magnaguards. Pushing off it, he then rolled and quickly rose to his feet, pulling out his knife in a swift motion and blocking the second droid's staff just before it struck his face. "That all you got Clanker?"

Taking the added heat off Ahsoka put Jack in a dangerous spot. He could only use one arm and against a droid with speeds equal to his fastest, he had to avoid making a single mistake. Not to mention he had to stay mobile, with nothing but his knife to avoid getting lobotomized from a pressuring shock.

When the droid pushed him away, he instantly ducked to the side and kicked at its side, getting little result as he turned his shoulders to dodge. The droid was forgoing the swings it used and began to jab at the soldier, using a direct and quick attack pattern to keep him off guard.

He was able to stay just out of its reach for a while until his heel hit against a rock in the sand, tripping him over and landing on his back. The droid took this opportunity and spun its spear before jabbing down at Jack, striking him on his chest.

"Jack!" Ahsoka shouted as she cut her droid in half, turning just in time to see the guard's staff strike and send it's voltage right into his chest. A Magnaguard's staff on kill hitting there would shut down every organ. And with the pain of electricity running across the whole body, it wouldn't be a pretty way to go.

But surprisingly, Jack didn't scream in agony. In fact, he didn't even let out more than a small grunt as he laid there with the droid's staff against his chest. The boy stared up at the droid for several seconds before his eyes widened in realization. The droid had aimed for his chest because it was the easiest and guarantied a kill if the heart was hit. But what it didn't account for was the hardened Hutt vomit covering his thin armor.

"Stinky, I take back every single thing I ever said about you!" Collecting himself, Jack threw his knife as hard as he could, impaling the droid's head and causing it to stumble back from the force. Knowing that wouldn't end it, he then got up and tackled the droid, using its misbalance to knock it over with him on top. Then, he grabbed the knife and began to repeatedly stab it into its chest sensor, stopping on the fourth stab as the droid completely shut down.

Seeing Jack survive, Ahsoka fell to her knees in exhaustion, the events of today catching up to her. "Being a Padawan is harder than I thought."

"Yeah, well… keeping up with one isn't too easy either." Jack said as he sheathed his knife and walked up to her. He then held his hand out, offering to help the Padawan up. Once she was to her feet, jack sighed lightly as he turned to one of the fallen droids. "Come on, let's get Stinky home."

"Alright." As they began to walk, Jack grabbed one of the Magnaguard's staffs, using it to help climb up the steep hill along with Ahsoka. R2 was quickly following them, using his jets to fly up easily while they had to force themselves to keep moving. Once they were up, they seemed to have forgone their exhaustion and ran for the monastery, entering and running to where they began to hear a loud commotion.

"Any bet that's Skyguy?" Ahsoka asked.

"I don't make bets with obvious answers." Jack chuckled as they reached the stairway that lead to the throne room, seeing Anakin surrounded by bounty hunters that were aiming at him.

"Stop!" Ahsoka shouted, getting the whole rooms attention. She and Jack were lightly panting, but walked up to Jabba next to Anakin, the Hutt acting and sounding relieved and happy to see his living child. She handed Stinky over to Jabba, who smiled as he held his Huttlet.

The sight had actually brought a smile to the three, as it actually seemed like a loving reunion. Jabba then pointed to them, and Jack's ears perked in shock as he heard it. _"Execute the three of them, at once."_

"You are to be executed, immediately." The protocol droid translated.

"What!?" Turning their backs to each other, Anakin and Ahsoka activated their lightsabers while Jack turned on the salvaged staff. It looks like the day isn't quite over yet.

"Does this always happen to you?" Ahsoka asked.

"Everywhere I go." Anakin responded.

"This is why I hate dealing with Hutts." Jack muttered as he held the staff with one hand, tucking it under his shoulder to keep it from leaning too far from one or another side.

Just as the fight was going to start, Jabba's communicator began to beep, getting the protocol droid to walk over and see who it was. "Your uncle Ziro is contacting us." Pressing it, a holo-projection of Padme Amidala, Senator of Naboo, appeared.

"Greetings, honorable Jabba." Padme spoke. "I am Senator Amidala of the Galactic Congress. I've discovered a plot against you by one of your own. Your uncle will admit that he conspired with Count Dooku to kidnap your son and frame the Jedi for the crime."

After she finished, Ziro's imaged appeared, getting Jack to groan. _'Of course it was Ziro.'_

The two Hutts then began to speak with each other, Jack not bothering to keep a translation as he preferred not listening to Hutts very much. It wasn't until Ziro admitted that it was all Dooku's plot that Jabba reacted in anger, and the image turned back to Padme.

"Ziro will be dealt with by the Hutt family, most severely." The droid translated.

"Perhaps now, you will allow the Republic to use your trade routes and hostilities can come to an end." Padme said, getting a light laugh from Jabba.

_"For the return of my son, you have earned your treaty."_

"Jabba agrees." The droid spoke. "A treaty is in order."

"You will not regret this, Jabba."

"The clone armies may through Jabba's territories." The droid finished speaking.

"Senator." Anakin spoke up as the three deactivated their weapons. "You have my undying… gratitude."

"No, Master Skywalker, it is I and the Republic who owes you thanks." And with that final word, the communication cut and left the room in silence.

"Jabba would be most appreciative if you brought Dooku to Justice." The droid said.

"You can count on it Jabba." Anakin responded, finding a similar goal with the Hutt for once in his life.

"So are we done?" Jack asked.

"I believe so." Ahsoka sighed in relief.

"Good, because I can't feel my legs and my arm is definitely broken at this point." Jack said weakly as he fell to his knees, using the staff to keep himself from falling down on his face. "Can we go home now?"

"I think it's about time, yes." Anakin chuckled as he helped the boy up. "And what's this about a broken arm."

"I don't want to talk about."

"He punched a Magnaguard with his injured arm."

"I said, I don't want to talk about."


	9. Malevolent Intent

"Please tell me you haven't been here the whole time we were on Coruscant." Hawke said as he walked through a cruiser's hangar, heading towards the freighter salvaged from Tatooine's desert.

"I wouldn't say the whole time." Jack responded as he was welding the bottom of the ship, wearing protective gear to avoid severe burns. "Just after I got out of the bacta tank and got some stuff from the shops available."

"And that was?" Hawke asked as he sat on a crate, watching the boy work.

"Just some clothes for when I'm off duty. Don't mind wearing the armor but it isn't something I want to be wearing during down time." Jack said as he stopped and walked to another part of the ship's underside and turned his welder back on. "And something else just for personal reasons."

"You mean this bag of sweets?" Hawke asked with a smirk as Jack frozen and stopped welding. The boy turned to the Jedi Knight and saw the bag in his hand before sighing.

"Yes."

"Any reason why?"

"I told you already." Jack said as he went back to work. "Personal reasons."

"…Can I have one?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks." Hawke said as he took a small red pellet from the bag and ate it, chuckling at the flavor. "You know how to pick a sweet."

"So what's up?" Jack asked. "Usually it's Rex or Denal that's sent to check up on me once we're in space. Something get your attention?"

"We think Master Plo Koon might require assistance."

"Isn't he tracking that new enemy ship?" Jack asked, turning off his welder and taking off his protective mask. His hair had grown out a bit, revealing the blond that was growing out while the black was now across the edges of his hair. "The one that for the past week has been destroying fleet after fleet without a single survivor?"

"Ever since we landed on Coruscant almost a month ago, yes." Hawke responded. "Communication was cut, but he was asking for assistance when we last received his transmissions."

"Doesn't the Jedi Council have to green light any reinforcements?"

"Yes, that's what Anakin and Ahsoka are attempting to do right now." Hawke said as he stood up. "Hopefully we can go to support Master before anything bad happens."

"Oh, you know Plo Koon formally?" Jack asked as he began taking off his protected suit, starting with the vest.

"Yes, actually." Hawke said. "He was my teacher during my Padawan days."

"So this is sort of personal huh? Which is why you're here instead with Anakin and Ahsoka trying to get to go on a rescue mission?" Seeing the Knight look down, Jack sighed in response. "You knew if you were there they wouldn't say yes, didn't you?"

"The downside of being a Jedi sometimes." Hawke said.

"Yeah well…" Jack started as he finished taking his gear off, revealing the blue shirt and black pants he was wearing. "Nothing's perfect." Sniffing the air, Jack recoiled when he picked up his scent. "Ah man, I was under there for too long."

"You've been almost nowhere else."

"Yeah, and it's paid off." Jack said, patting the ship's hull. "I've made a lot of progress on this baby."

"That's good to hear." Jack and Hawke turned to see Anakin and Ahsoka walk up, the Knight having been the one to speak. "Maybe soon you can actually take a break from working on it."

"I would prefer to finish all that's left if I'm being honest." Jack responded. "Besides, it's not like there's too much for me to do today anyways."

"Ugh, how about a shower." Ahsoka cringed, covering her nose. "You're managing to smell even worse than Stinky did. It's like you haven't showered in a week."

"How'd you know?"

.

.

.

"Anyways…" Anakin picked up, the group seeming disturbed by the boy's honest response. "With how long you've been working on this freighter, how space worthy would you say it is?"

"Oh, she is more than ready to start flying." Jack grinned. "Almost everything has been refitted to make this beauty fly smoother than most fighters we have. New engines that draw average fuel, an updated life-support that can run on it's own power for almost a month, energy cells that act as a backup energy supply and new shields. Nothing is getting this ship while I'm flying it. And that's not even mentioning the small additions I've made like the tow cable or support shield for the cargo hold."

"What about weapons?"

"I had to make a choice between either new shields or weapons for today." Jack responded as he picked up a cloth and began to clean the soot off his hands and arms. "It was a simple decision really."

"But without weapons you won't be able to fight back."

"Oh yeah, because the weapons really kept us up the last time you flew this thing." Jack countered, getting a chuckle from Hawke.

"He's got you there."

"Besides, the Twilight doesn't have many weapons that are compatible with her frame." Jack said, now wiping his face clean. "Plus with how old she is, I'd have to go through the process of updating the guns I have being delivered. That's a whole 'nother day of work."

"And the hyperdrive?"

"Fully operational. Had to tweak it a bit, thing's good for another three years before it needs replacing. And corners were needed to be cut." Jack finished, throwing his rag onto a box. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think it's about time I got cleaned up for the week."

"You can say that again." Ahsoka muttered.

"Well I know you have a hearing problem Shorty, but I'll pass." Jack smirked as he walked past the Jedi, yoinking the bag of sweets from Hawke's hand. Jack had then spent the next hour washing up, changing and getting something to eat, having been working for the past ten hours on the ship since he got up.

* * *

Now wearing a yellow shirt to replace his blue one, he was heading back to the hangar with a datapad when he ran into Hawke, who was on the elevator coming up. "Oh, Jack. You're here… again?" Hawke questioned, almost sounding suspicious to the boy.

"Yeah, I just have to go over some last minute checkups on the Twilight before I can let it be passed for a full flight test." Jack said as he stepped on, pressing the hangar level button. "So what's up?" Jack asked as they began to descend, the Jedi pulling on his robe's collar as he did.

"Oh, well you see we've been set to act as a defensive escort along this sector's trade route. Just to make sure nothing get's attacked by that new Separatist weapon." Hawke responded, looking away from Jack as he did.

"Oh, so they didn't pass the go ahead to look for General Plo Koon?" Jack asked, typing on his datapad. "That's unfortunate. I'm sorry, really, he is your master after all. It must be pretty hard not being able to do anything to help."

"Yeah, sort of." Hawke said as the door opened and Jack started to walk while looking at the datapad, Hawke right next to him as he headed for his ship's spot. "But you know, it isn't all that bad. I mean, who's to say he isn't just in a bad reception area? He might be well alive just not able to tell us. Sometimes focusing too much on something can be unhealthy, why not we get something to eat so you can rest a bit longer before checking the ship?"

"Already ate after cleaning up." Jack stated, rubbing his chin as he checked the system reports on his datapad. "Weird, it says the engines are currently in use, as well as the life form scanners and life support. I could have sworn I turned everything off before fixing the cut under the hull from getting the hyperdrive set."

As the boy talked, Hawke started to grow more nervous, a small bead of sweat going down his head as they approached where the ship should be. "Huh, it even says that the ship went through hyperspace, how is that possible?"

"Maybe you're just seeing things, I doubt an hour of rest is any good. Hey! Why not see what the clones are doing and see if we can-"

"Where is my ship!?" Hawke froze instantly when Jack shouted, seeing that his ship was missing. "What happened!? Where did it go!? Who took my ship while I was gone!?"

"Eh hehehe." Hawke nervously laughed, getting Jack's attention.

"Explain, now!"

"Oh, you know… Anakin and Ahsoka." Hawke answered.

"What!? Why did they take it!?"

"Because they needed to go on a recon mission and your ship was the only stealth ship already prepped." Seeing Jack's shoulders slump and his arms go to his sides, Hawke continued to try and calm him. "It's okay though, I'm certain it'll come back without a scratch, or two… a dozen at most, this is Anakin we're talking about."

Jack simply dropped his datapad, turning to the empty space on the other side of the field. "I spent… all of the credits I earned on that last mission, plus a favor from the Hutts for supplies to update everything. And they just… took it. Didn't even try and ask me if it was okay. They just, upped and left before I could even realize it. Hehe, hehehehehe."

"Jack?" Hawke questioned, worried for the boy when he started to chuckle.

"Hehehehehehehe, hehehehehehehe." He then sighed calmly, seeming to of regained himself. "Mother fu-!"

"Language!" Stopping his outburst, Hawke Force Pushed Jack into a pile of crates, keeping the boy from swearing. However, he did wince when he saw how Jack landed. "Ohhhh, that doesn't look good."

"Whhhhhhhhhhyyy?" Jack whined, his back on the ground while his body was folded forward, his feet just above his head.

* * *

"Hey, looks like they made it back." Hawke smiled as he saw the Twilight begin to touchdown after four hours of active flight. "And seeing as more than two life forms were picked up, I'd say everyone's back home safely."

"Uh, maybe not for long General." Rex said pointing behind him with his thumb to the steaming Jack that was approaching.

"The important thing Rex, is they made it home alive. Nothing can be done at this point."

"Riiiight."

"Thank you for getting us out of that mess sir." Wolffe, a clone commander said as he and Anakin walked down the Twilight's now extended ramp. "I was honestly thinking that no one was going to come for us."

"We would never abandon our allies. And Ahsoka is the one you should be thanking." Anakin responded, turning to the Togruta as she and Plo Koon soon followed. "She never gave up on you."

"Oh yeah, it was all thanks to you two. Well done." Anakin's shoulders flinched slightly at the sound of Jack's voice, surprised that the boy was even still up after 15 hours. "It clearly was all your effort, with the rescue, discovering the weapon and-oh! That's right! Stealing! My! SHIP!"

"You… stole the kid's ship?" Wolffe asked, having heard of Jack from the mission to save Jabba's son.

"We didn't steal it we… borrowed it." Anakin hesitated saying, seeing Jack cross his arms and tap his foot.

"Look, we took it to save lives okay? Why does it even matter?" Ahsoka asked. "It's just a ship, is it really that bad that we took it?"

"Is it really that bad?" Jack echoed, turning to the Togruta and walking up to her. "Is it really that bad?"

"Oh here we go again." Hawke muttered, turning a blind eye and walking away from the imminent argument.

"I'm not sure where your common sense went, but do you know what it takes to refit a ship as old as Twilight?" Jack asked, motioning his hand to the freighter. "Credits, and a lot of them! I couldn't afford most of it on my salary as a soldier, I had to call in one hell of a favor to get just about everything so I could also get the necessities when I'm off duty. And even then I could only get a handful of clothes!"

"Not to mention I put over a month's time of work into this thing's rebuilding! It's a lot of time but that means there was likely mistakes I overlooked! Mistakes that could've cost us not one!" He continued, pointing to Ahsoka. "Not two!" He then pointed to Anakin, before finishing and pointing to Plo Koon. "But three Jedi! I don't want that failure on my conscious! Even if you're infuriating, I don't want you dead, and I certainly don't want Anakin and Plo Koon dead either."

"Wait… that's why you're mad?" Anakin asked, confused at the reasons.

"Of course." Jack responded, turning back to Anakin. "It's as I said before, I don't like making mistakes. Especially when lives are on the line. This ship wasn't cleared for flying yet. I said she could, not that she should. I'm glad that you found Plo Koon, I would've even gone with you if you had asked me in the first place. Sure, I'm upset that I could've just lost a ship that's cost me a small fortune and a month of my life, but it would've been worse if people I worried about were killed. And Ahsoka."

"Hey."

"You stole my ship, that's the best you're getting."

"Ahem." Plo Koon cleared his throat getting the group's attention. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to make our report to the council. I believe this could be resolved… later?"

Jack sighed and nodded. "Yeah, it can. Sorry sir, just needed to vent."

"You need not apologize young one. In fact, you have my thanks." Plo Koon responded, surprising Jack as he bowed. "Were it not for your ship, my men and I would've certainly perished."

"Ah, way to put me on the spot." Jack muttered before bowing back. "There's no need for that sir, just doing my job, and others when they don't tell me." He whispered the last part, not wanting the others to hear.

The Jedi then left to make their report, leaving Jack to deal with his ship while Wolffe and his troops were brought to the med-bay. Using his datapad, Jack synched everything and triple checked everything, not leaving a single stone unturned as he investigated his own ship.

"Really working yourself to the bone huh kid?" Denal, Rex's second in command asked as he was assigned to help Jack, checking the consoles. Aside from the captain himself, Denal was one of the few clones that currently trusted him enough to offer assistance. And certainly one of the few Jack would trust to help with his ship's repairs.

"This ship's likely going to be used more and more as the war progresses." Jack said as he started his check on the life support. "I want to absolutely make sure it's ready for future missions before doing something as risky as letting Jedi take it for a rescue mission against an ion cannon."

"Did you find anything that could've risked them?"

"Nothing yet, just a small lag time in the engine's start up but nothing out of the ordinary." Jack's datapad then beeped red, getting his attention. "Uh oh."

"What's with the uh oh? Those usually aren't good." Denal asked, walking up to Jack from behind.

"Looks like they scraped against something on their great escape." Jack commented, tapping on his pad and pulling up an outline of the ship. On it, the bottom of the ship had a large glowing yellow spot, to which he tapped and enhanced. "Looks like the life support was damaged by debris and has been venting oxygen. Luckily it had enough to get them back before it ran out and they asphyxiated."

"How did it get through?"

"Likely because I didn't finish adding the remaining hull on the bottom of the ship." Jack assumed. "That's what those crates are all carrying, enough metal to balance out the ship's belly with the rest of it's armor."

"One of those small oversights you talked about earlier?"

"Exactly." Jack groaned as he dismissed the ship's outline. "Looks like I'm going to need a new life support system now, plus some more steel to fix the new breach so that it doesn't become a chink when the rest is put on." He then sighed as he put the datapad down. "Oh well, I can do that another day. For now I think sleep's going to come very welcoming."

"Make sure to sleep in a little longer kid." Denal said, patting Jack's shoulder as he got up. "I'm pretty sure we'll have a busy week soon."

"No kidding."

* * *

That busy week went through quicker than expected, and luckily to Jack he managed to finish the ship's full repairs. Now equipped with another new life support, and the hull now balanced out, the Twilight was fully set to be space worthy, and tested to perfection as well.

And at the end of it, the report on the Separatist's ion cannon went through to the Senate, who took it as well as expected. A strike was already commissioned to take out the weapon, which gathered a handful of bombers and some of the best clone pilots the 501st had to offer. Which included Jack himself.

After the quick briefing on the mission, he was already going over the final checks with the bomber. He wanted to be sure it wouldn't stall at the worst time, especially since he'd have a gunner flying with him.

"You almost done kid?" Hex, the clone gunner that would be with him in his bomber, asked.

"Yeah, everything passes the inspection." Jack answers before moving to help the clone up. "Come on, I'll help you up."

"I'm fine, kid." Hex said, climbing up himself. Once he entered the gunner seat and the glass clasped over him, Jack sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"Guess I still have a ways to go."

"Are you serious? He get's his own ship but I don't?" Ahsoka questioned as she and her master walked up to the bomber next to Jack's.

The boy chuckled once in response, humored by the Padawan's complaint. "Too bad Shorty, looks like you haven't gotten your flying pass yet."

"I could fly circles around you any day."

"Is that a bet?"

"Alright, that's enough you two." Anakin said.

"Skywalker." Admiral Yularen spoke up as he walked to the group with Master Plo Koon and Hawke next to him. "The enemy warship has attacked our convoy of medical transports near Ryndellia."

"Medical transports?" Ahsoka questioned, hurt at the news. "Only General Grievous would go after clones who can't fight back." Although he didn't speak up, Jack was just as hurt at the news, only his hurt was able to become anger for the droid general.

"The Ryndellia system, near Naboo." Anakin spoke, thinking over the news. "Isn't that where our medical base is?"

"Our Outer Rim medical facility to be exact." Jack spoke up, turning the group's attention to him. "Over 60,000 clones are there being treated right now. If he gets there and destroys that base, we'll be losing a lot of good men."

"And with a ship that big, he'll be getting to the station in only a couple of hours at most." Hawke added. "We won't be able to make it there with the intended flight path."

"Looks like we're gonna have to take a shortcut." Anakin concluded. "Admiral, warn the station what's coming." The admiral nodded once before leaving.

"This journey will be treacherous." Plo Koon started. "If you lose any ships before you reach the target-"

"We won't lose anybody." Anakin interrupted, heading for his bomber.

"Hawke and I will come along and fly fighter escort."

"Goodie, Jedi assistance is always helpful." Jack smirked as he moved back to sit in the bomber's cockpit.

"I had a feeling you two would come along." Ahsoka smiled back at the Master and Knight. "Your ships have already been prepped."

"That a girl Ahsoka." Hawke smiled back as the two headed for the ship, with the Padawan now heading up to her gunner position.

Once everything was cleared, the top hangar was opened and the squadron of 12 bombers and two Jedi fighters took off, Anakin's ship taking the lead. "Shadow Squadron, call in." Anakin ordered.

"Shadow 2 standing by."

Shadow 3 standing by."

"Shadow 4 standing by."

One by one, each clone called their numbers out, with Jack being the last to call out. "Shadow 12 standing by."

"Fighter escort ready." Plo Koon added in, answering for himself and his former Padawan.

"Just like the good days." Hawke spoke, excited for the flight mission ahead.

"This is Admiral Yularen." The admiral spoke over comms. "You are clear for hyperspace jump. Good hunting sir."

"Thanks admiral." After the conformation, all of the pilots prepped their hyperdrives, now ready to make the jump. "All right boys, let's go." Taking off, the squad was sure that each row in front went for a solid second before going themselves. Hyperspace was tricky, and if so much as one slipup occurred, they'd lose potentially half their ships in the jump alone.

"Try to avoid making us crash kid." Hex said over the ship's comm. "I'd rather not get killed because of a bogus pilot."

"You can relax Hex." Jack said back. "Other than Anakin, I haven't met a pilot that can compare to my skill in a fighter."

"Yeah well that pride better not kill us."

"It won't."

The hyperspace jump wasn't a long one, no more than little over an hour passed before they all stopped and flew normally. A large nebula a small distance away.

"Okay, if we can just navigate through my shortcut, we'll be all right." Anakin said.

"Of course your shortcut would be through a nebula though." Hawke responded. "I mean I'm grateful for the exotic route, but these things can be pretty messed up. It's best if we all be careful during this run if you don't want to become stardust with the rest of the nebula."

"You don't have to worry about us Hawke." Jack said back. "We'll all be fine during this flight. Am I right guys?"

"Best thing I've heard out of the kid's mouth since I met him." Broadside commented over the comms, getting a slight chuckle from Jack.

"Does anyone care what the Padawan thinks?" Ahsoka asked.

"No."

"Jack, what did I say?" Anakin said to the boy's instant response. "But of course we care, Snips. But we're still going through that nebula."

The nebula's composition was thick, the amount of stardust making it difficult to see far past the squadron's front. Luckily they had scanners if there was anything big in the area. They would at least be able to avoid crashing should they be unable to see it. At least, they would if the nebula wasn't jamming them.

"Just keep your thoughts on the flight, feel your way through." Jack muttered to himself. It wasn't the first time he flied old school style, but it was still a little nerve wracking with a passenger with him this time. "So Anakin, where did you even hear about this shortcut? I haven't heard of anyone using a nebula except from smugglers."

"Well, it is an old smuggler route after all." Jack's eyes widened underneath his helmet at that.

"Wait… a smuggler's route, and you heard it while you were on Tatooine?"

"That's right."

"And these smugglers were likely working for the Hutts, right?"

"Yep."

"Oh crap we're on the Balmorra Run." Jack murmured through the comms, Plo Koon realizing what the boy sounded worried about.

"Balmorra Run?"

"Hey, there's something big on the sensors." Ahsoka commented, with Hex confirming it just shortly after.

"Skywalker, listen to me. We have to turn around."

"We can't." Anakin responded. "Not if we're gonna catch Grievous."

"Another contact." Ahsoka added. "And this one is much larger."

"Anakin, Balmorra is the nesting area of the giant neebray mantas!" Jack explained over the comms. "People stopped using this route because of the high risk to moving through these things' territory."

"Great job Anakin. Seriously, tremendous work." Hawke said as the neebray mantas came into view, their sizes dwarfing the bombers and fighters.

"Take evasive action!" Upon Anakin's orders, the squadron all split up, with Jack, Shadow 4, and Hawke going over the first mantras. Entering the heart of the nest, the whole squadron saw just how many there were, and there was far too many to count.

"Those gas-chompers are huge." Ahsoka said, shocked by the size of the neebray mantras. She's seen them before, but never larger than a fighter at most!

"Well don't shoot if you want to avoid how they act when panicked." Jack responded.

"They'll panic? I'm about to panic."

"There's so many of them." Matchstick said as he flew under one, grazing it with his ship. "I'm hit! My stabilizer's out!"

"Hold it together Matchstick!" Jack ordered. "Just give it some time and the nebula will help balance the systems."

"I'm okay. I got it." Matchstick responded as the flames on his stabilizer went out and he was able to correct it. Jack mentally blew a breath of relief at that.

"All wings, line up behind me." Anakin ordered, getting the squadron to follow in a line behind him to avoid hitting any more of the mantras.

Navigation was tight, and at every turn there was another mantra in the way. "Watch it kid!" Hex said.

"I got it."

"Watch it!"

"I'm handling it fine."

"We almost hit that one!"

"Well maybe if I didn't have someone screaming in my ear every second it'd go better!" Jack snapped, shutting the clone up. With the silence, Jack was able to now focus and keep up with the squadron, exiting the nebula and reaching the medical facility's sector without any casualties. "Oh man, that was fun."

"You said it." Hawke responded. "And now we aren't far behind Grievous, we have a pretty good chance at catching him now."

"Shadow 2, what is the damage to your ship?" Plo Koon asked, noticing the bomber's sparking hull.

"Just a scratch, sir." Matchstick responded.

"We must not take any more unnecessary risks. If we lose even a single ship, our mission is that much closer to failure."

"Understood, Master Plo." Anakin spoke. "But we didn't lose any ships, and I didn't-"

"We have something coming up." Jack said as he checked his scanner.

"I thought those things wouldn't follow us out of the nebula." Ahsoka commented.

"It isn't coming from the nebula." Jack corrected as the scanner began to show drastic sings of plasma. "It's coming out of hyperspace, a massive ship. It's the Malevolence." At the end of his sentence, the malevolence dropped out of hyperspace, revealing it's unbelievable size. "Oh man, that's the biggest cruiser-destroyer class ship I've ever seen. Why do the bad guys get all the nice stuff?"

"Begin approach." Anakin ordered, his bomber taking the lead. Due to the change in positioning, Jack was now close to the front, his awe now replaced with anger as the Malevolence started targeting the fleeing medical transports.

"Fighters incoming!' Hawke informed, spotting the squadron of incoming vulture droids. Jack didn't waste time to fire a couple of shots off at the first approaching him before doing a corkscrew to avoid getting hit, attempting to fly steady so that Hex could hit the ones that would start to trail them.

"That's it kid, keep her steady." Hex said as he was targeting the vulture behind them, firing three times before landing a hit and blowing it up. "We got more on our six! Keep this thing going the way you are."

"I'm not sure that will be possible." Jack said back, noticing the ion cannon on the Malevolence's side begin to spark and come to life. The cannon then fired, sending a circular projectile right at the squadron. "Incoming!"

"Break off, now!" Anakin ordered. "Make it towards the edge of the blast!" Pulling up, the whole squadron followed Anakin at their top speeds, racing against the clock as the blast was quickly approaching.

"Shadow 2, your speed is dropping." Ahsoka said as she noticed the bomber's decreasing acceleration. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing sir, just trying to keep it together!" Matchstick responded, trying to keep his ship from losing control.

"You can do it Matchstick, just hold on."

"Matchstick, break off to the left before your whole engine goes up in flames!" Jack ordered, seeing the status on matchstick's ship from his screen.

"But-!"

"Just do it!"

Instead of further arguing, Matchstick's soldier instincts kicked in and he followed the order. Stopping his ascension and turning hard left, he noticed just how close his engine was to going off before the sudden turn before his engines shut down, the fuel lines cut due to the damaged hull. At the same time most of the squadron made it over the ion blast, with the acceptation of four ships.

"Shadow Squadron, call in."

"Matchstick's ship is out of commission." Ahsoka informed. "Shadows 4, 6, and 10 were caught in the ray."

"Matchstick, turn off all systems except for your life support and beacon." Jack commanded over the comms, setting hi s ship to track the signal. "Once we're done here I'll come by and pick you up."

"Sure thing." Matchstick responded. "Oh, and kid? Thanks, adrenaline kicked in and I-"

"You don't have to say anything." Jack interrupted, smiling. "Just make sure you live long enough to buy those drinks you promised."

"Aren't you too young to drink?"

"Technically, I'm older than every clone. You just have accelerated growth."

"Nice try kid." Hex spoke, turning the gun back to the front. "Just focus on flying before attempting to illegally drink."

"I mean, hey, it's legal somewhere."

Focusing back on the mission, Jack would follow right to the Malevolence, now having to evade the continuous barrage of cannon fire from the Malevolence's hull. "This flak is heavy!" Broadside shouted.

"Stay on course!" Plo Koon ordered.

"Master, we need a new plan." Ahsoka said, flinching as a blast almost had struck their ship.

"We can make it, Ahsoka." Anakin responded. "Just hang in there."

Now closing in, the squadron was just flying over the Malevolence's hull, having to dodge the cannon fire from their sides now. To Jack, it was easier than flying right at the bolts, but he could tell the clone pilots were having a much harder time keeping balance than he and the Jedi were.

"We're too close, loosen up!" Broadside, said over the comms, shortly before his right engine was blasted apart and his ship crashed into the enemy frigate.

"Broadside!"

"Master, you can make it. But everyone else is getting shot down." Ahsoka tried to reason with Anakin, attempting to get him to follow a new plan instead of following with the practically suicidal run they were taking. "Master!"

"Anakin, we have to change targets now!" Hawke shouted over the comms. "The Malevolence is targeting the medical facility! Even if the bridge is destroyed we're going to lose the station! If we do, then we lose all of the wounded still on board! Change the vector you stubborn bas-"

"Shadow Squadron, new target." Anakin interrupted, setting in a new target vector. "We're taking out the starboard cannon." Ahsoka, Jack and even Hawke all breathed in relief at it, all having been worried for the remaining pilots they had.

Moving around the bridge, the squadron made a quick turn to head straight for the ion cannon, heading into the weapons less armored area between its surface and the Malevolence's hull. "Torpedoes away!" The remaining bombers then all fired their heavy armament torpedoes at the weakness, causing a chain of explosions before breaking off and flying away from the menacing frigate.

When the ship attempted to fire, both cannons completely imploded. The damage done on the starboard cannon was more than enough to implode on itself, corrupting the plasma rotors and causing them to completely blow up on themselves.

"Alright boys, let's head for the medical facility."

"I'll be there a little late, sir." Jack responded to Anakin's orders. "There's a bomber that needs towing and I sort of made a promise."

"Don't tale to long." Hawke warned. "The Malevolence may be damaged but it is still a cruiser-crusher. We don't know if it sustained enough damage."

"Understood Hawke, don't you worry about me." Jack said back, turning and heading for Matchstick and his gunner. "Hey, did you miss me?"

"Oh no, it was a blast." Matchstick responded sarcastically. "We got to take in the surrounding view, see the sights, taste the wine."

"Alright, don't push it." Firing a single cable, Jack secured the separate bomber and began to pull them towards the medical station, just in time as three Republic cruisers showed up and began to fire on the Malevolence.

"So kid, why?" Hex asked over the comms.

"Why what?"

"Why go out of the way to help Matchstick both in the middle of a mission and after? It was a pretty big risk for a bunch of clones."

"What do you mean by a bunch of clones?"

"We're expendable kid, meant to be used as just soldiers."

"Clones are anything but expendable." Jack responded, rubbing the three tally marks on his chest plate. "You may all be clones, but you're still people. I don't care what you or anyone else says, I'll do anything to bring as many men back home as I can." The rest of the flight went in silence, with them landing in the medical facilities hangar.

Teams of medic clones were waiting to take Matchstick and his gunner for examination from the exposure in space, but the pilot asked them to wait as Jack climbed out of the cockpit. "Kid."

Jack stopped halfway down the ladder as he heard the clones' usual go to for his identification, looking down to see the pilot. "Yeah?"

"You helped keep me and my brothers alive today, and for that you have my thanks. I'm sorry me and the boys were hard on you at the start of the mission, it's just difficult-"

"Working with a kid?"

"Um… yeah."

"Don't worry about it, I knew getting respect would take time, and I'm more than willing to prove myself to each and every one of you when the time comes."

"Well to the Shadow Squadron, you already have." Matchstick said before saluting, surprising Jack. "The boys and I will be excited for the next time we fly together, Jack."

Jack stared at the clone for almost a minute before responding, giving his own salute from the ladder. "The pleasure will be all mine Matchstick." It was a step, but Jack knew that a step is always needed before taking a jump. And no matter the risk, he'll be willing to take that jump if it means earning the Republic's respect.


	10. Rookies and Commandos

"The Malevolence, huh? Seriously, with a name like that how do the Separatists think they're the good guys?" Deadshot said as he sat at his new station, looking over a report that Jack sent him a few days ago. "A shame Grievous got away though, could've ended this war a lot sooner with that Clanker gone."

"I could've… taken him no problem." Hevy, one of the clones stationed with Deadshot responded. Currently, the clone was arm wrestling with Cutup, a member from his batch and squad. Music was currently playing in the background, keeping the troopers entertained while they either slacked off or were doing the minimum required work.

Normally, a relay station would have a much tighter crew. But then most relay stations aren't on Rishi, a moon within the Outer Rim. It was a horribly dull position, one Deadshot despises being put on due to the time it took to fix his injury. But even with it healed, he was left on the moon, and the bickering squad that were stationed with him.

"Ah hahahahaha!" Hevy laughed as he beat Cutup, now standing as he looked around. "Okay, who's next? Fives?"

"Shouldn't you be watching your scope, Hevy?" Echo, a by-the-books clone asked. Personally the one Deadshot could stand the most, but it was just by how he never bothered him.

"Yeah, let's take a look." Hevy responded rhetorically, going to his console and pulling up the space scope. The sight being nothing but the moon's surface. "Hmm, what do you know? All clear, just like the last hundred times I looked at it."

"Personally, I like that it's so quiet out here." Echo commented, tapping on his datapad. "I can catch up on the reg manuals."

"Echo, what is wrong with you? We should be out on the front lines blasting droids."

"Ah, leave him alone." Fives, the most independent of the clones on the station Deadshot's met said to Hevy. "They kept him in his growth jar too long."

"Yeah." The two then laughed, getting Deadshot to sigh as he placed his datapad down on his console.

It was annoying for the sniper to be stationed on this moon, especially with troopers that clearly don't seem to understand how to follow orders well. It was like dealing with rebellious cadets back on Kamino. _'Even Jack wasn't this bad and he's an actual kid.'_

"You may not realize it yet Fives, but we've landed on the most boring outpost within the Outer Rim."

"And one of the most important." Sergeant O'Niner said as he walked into the room, spooking all of the clones to stand and turn off the radio.

"Attention! Sergeant on Deck!"

"At ease." O'Niner responded. "Even though you're all new here, I shouldn't have to remind you that this quadrant is key to the Outer Rim. If the droids get past this station, they can surprise-attack the facilities where we and our batch brothers were born on our home world of Kamino."

"Most of our batch brothers." Hevy whispered under his breath, getting an irritated glare from Deadshot. By now Jack had made a small name of himself within the Republic from the missions he was a part of. The majority of citizens don't see much of him, but the other volunteers see him as an icon. As for the clones, well, a lot still have warming up to do. Clones like Hevy, gun-ho and unwilling to accept that kind of help, still despise him being added into the clones' rank.

A problem that Deadshot hasn't been allowed to drill into his head for being worthless.

"There are some officers on the way, so I want everything squared for inspection. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

* * *

"Alright, Pastil checks out." Ray said as he and Cody climbed aboard the shuttle, with Rex flying it off the ship and out to space.

"Where to next?" Rex asked, prepping the hyperdrive.

"The outpost on Rishi." Cody answered, sitting in the copilot seat. "Shouldn't be anything too bad, the last ten inspections came up with nothing wrong but clones slacking off."

"Can't blame them, the post is the most boring one you could have." Ray spoke up, standing in the doorway to the cockpit. "We're lucky we don't run in finding a bunch of skeletons with writing on the walls saying 'died of boredom, add television next time'."

"I seriously think something went wrong when you were grown." Rex responded, turning to the Kamino guard commander.

"And as I said before, you aren't entirely wrong."

"Just make the report."

"Spoil sports." Ray muttered as he walked back to the crew hold, activating the holo-projector and waited for the Jedi to pick up from both lines. Once brought up, Ray stood ready as Obi-Wan, Anakin and Shaak Ti all appeared as holograms. "General Skywalker, General Kenobi, Master Ti. The tracking station in Pastil is fully operational. Rex, Cody and I are proceeding to the outpost stationed at Rishi. Expect a complaint in lack of entertainment in the report, it's what we usually get."

"Well, at least you're on time right now." Obi-Wan responded. "Report back once you've arrived."

"Understood sir." Ray nodded. "But seriously though, anything for them would be good. Like a TV, or maybe just a deck of cards." The hologram then ended, leaving Ray alone in the back. "They cut me off. I get the sneaking suspicion they find my attitude weird."

"We all do."

"Quiet Rex."

* * *

"Sir, incoming meteor shower." Deadshot informed as the alarms were going off.

"Raise the shield." O'Niner ordered, and in seconds Deadshot set up the shielding.

"You wanted excitement Hevy." Fives said, turning to the trooper for a second.

"Right." Hevy said back before whispering to himself. "Ohhh, meteor shower."

"Quiet back there." Deadshot said over his shoulder, having heard Hevy's sarcastic remark. The shower was brief, only four having come down and only one hitting the shield. Once it was over, Deadshot turned off the shield, knowing it was best to save the power just in case.

"CT-327, report in." O'Niner ordered over comms, wanting the guard to give the report on the shower. "Sentry, do you copy?"

"Interference from the meteor?" Echo guessed.

"I don't see him down there, Sarge." Fives added, seeing nothing on his scanners.

"You two, go find him." O'Niner ordered Droidbait and Clip, the two putting their helmets on and running down the staircase to the front door.

The two only made it to the bottom of the stairs when the door opened, revealing a large squad of new commando battle droids. "Droids!" That was the only thing Droidbait could say before the droids had completely riddled him and clip with blaster fire.

O'Niner was the only one able to respond quickly, grabbing his 15S rifle and getting halfway down the staircase before taking cover. "Sound the alarm!" He ordered Echo as he fired back at the droids, hitting one in the chest only for it to get back up a second later.

Echo attempted to hit the alarm, but got no result from it. "They disabled the beacon." Fives, Cutup, Hevy and Echo soon joined Echo, all having put their helmets on. Out of all of them, Deadshot's was the only one with dust and dirt on it, having been the only one to see real combat.

"Get a message to the fleet! We have to warn-Ahh!" Before he could finish, O'Niner was shot in the leg, knocking him down to his chest out of his cover. He attempted to roll and blast at the droids, but as he turned his gun was knocked away and three commando droids blasted him, ending the sergeant.

"Sarge!"

"Move Echo!" Deadshot shouted as he grabbed the rookie and pulled him back to the observation deck with the rest of the squad.

Once they were all through, Cutup closed the door and ripped the circuits out from the console, jamming the door. "That should slow those buckets down."

Echo then put his helmet on and ran to a vent shaft, opening it. "This way, hurry!"

Fives and Cutup quickly went through, with Hevy and Deadshot having stayed near the door. "No, we can still-!" Hevy tried to argue, but stopped as soon as the droids started to cut through the door.

"There's too many, we have to leave!" Deadshot ordered, pushing Hevy before grabbing two DC-17 blaster pistols. The rookie and sniper then headed for the vent, the latter going in last and putting the grate back into place before moving to conceal their exit point.

It was a pain to leave, but Deadshot knew better than to try and mess with an entire squad of commando droids. Maybe with more troops and weapons, but not with four rookies and himself only armed with two pistols. All they could do is make their way through the vents to outside and wait for an opportunity to arise.

Once they were out, Deadshot handed Hevy one of his two pistols and took the lead, checking ahead to make sure everything was clear. "What do we do without the sarge?" Fives asked.

"The reg manual says the next-" Echo started before Deadshot held his hand up, his ears picking up a faint hissing noise.

"Did any of you hear that?" He asked, getting a nod from Hevy.

"Yeah, what is that?"

"It doesn't sound like droids." Cutup commented, living up to his name's reputation.

Deadshot then heard small rumblings, having his pistol up and ready for whatever was making the noise. "Don't forget about those giant eels." Hevy said to Fives.

"Eh, I've never seen-"

"AHHHHHH!"

"Cutup!" Hevy shouted as he and Deadshot tried to kill the Rishi eel, the bolts doing nothing against it's hardened hide as it descended into the caves of Rishi. "What the hell was that!?"

"That was an eel." Echo answered, having been the only one to see the physical description of one. "N-now that's why we have the regulation not to go outside."

"There's nothing we can do now." Deadshot spoke up. "Let's move before it decides it's still hungry."

"Poor Cutup." Echo said as the troops started to move again, this time fully aware of their surroundings for any more eels.

After a minute of walking, the team was just underneath the base's landing pad and stopped at the sound of engines whirring. "Look!" Fives said as he pointed up to a Republic shuttle. "It's Commander Cody!"

"It's the inspection team."

"This is bad." Deadshot spoke to himself before going next to Echo. "We have to try and warn them that it isn't us in the base right now. Pass me a droid flare."

"What makes you think I…" Echo started before turning to Deadshot, seeing the clone's helmet tipped to give off the 'who else' vibe. "Right, fair point."

As the group began to prepare the attack flare, the shuttle landed and the ramp extended down. Not long after Commanders Cody and Ray walked out with Rex coming next to them, all armed with DC-15s rifles.

"This is not good." Cody commented as they walked across the landing platform. "I don't see the deck officer anywhere."

"These boys are sloppy." Rex concluded.

"Boredom does that to a clone." Ray added as he shrugged his shoulder, catching the sight of glowing white optics at the corner of his eye. "I'm telling you we at least should leave them a deck of cards."

"Do not tell me you actually have…" Rex started before turning to see Ray pull out a deck from his shoulder guard's left chest pocket. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Who knows?" Ray responded, taking one of the cards and throwing it to a box of crates, lightly drawing the other clone's gaze to where he saw the optics without them fully turning. "I just like to come prepared."

"What do you think it is?" Cody asked, having seen the optics Ray had before.

"I'm not sure, but keep your guard up." Ray ordered, actually having more authority then Cody in this situation. Both were commanders, yes, but Ray was actually an older clone and the only one in the whole group who fought during the first battle of Geonosis. As such, he has more experience and has ARC trooper training to boot.

The door to the base then opened as the three officers were halfway across the platform, revealing a trooper walking towards them "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Does no one in this army understand the word jinx?" Ray asked to himself, shaking his head as they approached the trooper.

"Welcome to Rishi, Commander." The trooper said, his tone sounding expressionless. "As you can see, the outpost is operating at peak efficiency. Thank you for visiting, and have a safe trip back." The whole time he talked, the trooper was moving his arms, reminding Ray of the apparent stereotype droids had of organics liking to move their limbs while talking.

"We need to inspect the base just the same." Cody said, getting the clone to take a step back.

"Uh, there is no need. Everything is fine and fully operational."

"Take us to the sergeant in command." Rex ordered.

"Roger, ro-" The trooper was unable to finish as Ray fired three bolts into him, one in the stomach, chest and head each.

"Ray, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Relax Cody." Ray responded as he knelt to the fallen body and removed the helmet, revealing a commando droid's faceplate. "Bingo, commando droids. That explains why there was white optics across this whole platform."

"You knew?"

"I had an idea, but it's been awhile since I saw one. Plus a perk of being a guard on Kamino is you figure out a lot of tricks droids can try to pull on you. Oh, and we may want to get to cover." A flare then went off, and at the same moment the commando droids across the platform began to fire, revealing themselves to the clones.

"Ambush!"

"No, really?" Ray responded casually as they fire back and retreated to a set of two boxes. While Cody and Rex knelt behind the one facing the outpost, Ray took the one that covered their flanks, firing twice to a commando's head and taking it out. "Commando's have hardened armor! If you want to take it out quickly you aim for the head!"

In response to the advice, Rex fired three times at a commando, hitting the chest twice before the third hit its head, effectively scrapping it. "Good to know!"

"We're cut off!"

"It won't matter if we can't figure out exactly how many!" Ray shouted back as he ducked behind the crates, feeling it recoil from the multiple blasts being taken. Popping back over it, he fired three more rounds, taking out two of the commando's with higher ground.

Rex then looked up to see two thermal detonators being thrown. "Off the platform!"

"Don't have to tell me twice." Cody responded as several more were thrown to the shuttle. As Cody and Rex set up cables at the edge and go down, Ray quickly fired four shots as he jumped off, managing to destroy a commando before going below the platform.

"Commander!"

Without responding, Ray punched his right arm forward, firing a cable out that stuck underneath the platform. Both Rex and Cody looked at the ARC trooper for a second before descending down their cable along with Ray. Once their feet touched the ground they all disconnected, with Ray's cable pulling itself back into place in his forearm bracer.

"Well that sure complicates things, Commanders." Rex said. "No worse than that time on Tibrin."

"We had Jedi with us on Tibrin. They helped." Cody responded.

Rex then held his hand out as four shadows formed in view, and four clones came out of the smoke of the destroyed shuttle. As they saw them, the three aimed their weapons at them, not willing to risk falling for another trap. "Hands above your heads." The four approaching troopers complied, raising their hands up. "Take your sun bonnets off."

"Uh, sir?"

"Take 'em off! Now!"

The four then took off their helmets, revealing their identical faces. Just after they did, the Rishi eel from before emerged once more, it's attention set on the clone captain. Unfortunately it chose the wrong target, as Rex shot it directly in the before it could even move, killing it and causing it to crash to the ground.

"Nice shot." Hevy commented as Rex went to check the eel, getting its blood all over his left hand.

"The name's Rex." He said back, standing and turning to the four. "But you'll call me Captain or sir."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"I'm Commander Cody, and this is Commander Ray, your new boss." Cody introduced, getting a neck roll from Hevy.

"My designation is trooper 27-55-55, sir."

"We call him Fives." Hevy added on. "I'm Hevy, and this is Deadshot and Echo."

"Oh boy, four of the clones from the almost doomed squads I've trained." Ray said as he walked up to the four.

"Where's your sergeant?" Cody asked.

"Dead, sir. We're all that's left." Echo answered.

"Looks like we almost have a full batch of shinies, Commander." Rex concluded, walking up next to Ray.

"Almost?"

"Shinies, sir?" Echo questioned, Hevy's seeming to be ignored.

"That's right. Your armor, it's shiny and new." Rex responded before placing his hand on Echo's chest, removing the blood and leaving a handprint. "Just like you."

"Sir, me and my batchers are trained and ready." Hevy spoke up. "We'll take back our post, shiny or not."

That got a smirk out of Rex, the Captain turning to Hevy. "There's hope for you yet rookie."

"Good to see you're a team player again Hevy." Ray said as he patted the clone's shoulder. "I swear you were as bad as Blitz was."

"Save the reunion talk for later Ray." Cody said. "First we have to take the post back, understood?"

"Sure thing Cody boy."

The squad then began to make their way up, with Rex and Cody taking the lead while Ray and Deadshot covered the rear. As they free climbed up the cliff side, Ray spoke to the sniper. "I'm surprised to see you got sent out here without the rest of your team."

Deadshot stopped for a second, recollecting his thoughts before climbing again. "Most of the squad's dead sir. There are only two of us left."

"So you got split up?" Ray asked, looking down to the sniper. "I assume that's because you were injured?"

"Took a shot to the leg. We didn't have the supplies so I was shipped out. Once I was clear, the last of us were assigned a Jedi and I was without a squad. So they sent me here."

"Who's the other survivor?" Ray asked, having an idea of whom in the squad of misfits was the other one standing.

"Jack, sir." Deadshot answered. "Tacs died back in the first mission, then Blitz and Stiches died the day after during a droid assault protecting me and Jack. The kid was put out of commission for a bit because of debris hitting him, but from the reports he's been sending me he's okay."

"You said he was assigned a Jedi right?" Deadshot nodded once, getting Ray to continue. "Are they at least getting along?"

"Ehhhhhhh…"

* * *

"No, no, no!" Jack shouted, taking a metal cylinder from Ahsoka before she set it into the Twilight's wing cannon. "I told you to put the Z4TF8C in the wing's gun! This is the Z4TF8C-2!"

"What's the difference!?" Ahsoka shouted back.

"The difference being this wing doesn't blow up into stardust you half-witted Togruta!"

* * *

"Enough?"

"You don't sound very sure about your answer."

"I'm not to be honest."

"Look sharp, rookies." Rex said as they made it to the top. "As long as those tweezers occupy this outpost, our home planet of Kamino is at risk." He and Cody then gave Echo and Hevy their rifles, while Fives and Deadshot stuck with the pistols.

"But there's so many of them." Echo said back.

"Numbers don't matter in a battle like this kid." Ray said, standing in front of the whole squad. "What matters is the drive to win. Droids like commandos don't have the same drive as us, they just simply follow orders and do what they're told. We however know that we must take back this base. So we will retake the base." The answer was more than enough for the rookies, as they and Deadshot all prepared their weapons for the coming battle.

"How do you purpose we get past those blast doors, Rex old boy?" Cody asked.

"I have a few ideas."

* * *

"I like this idea." Ray whispered as he, Cody, and Deadshot waited on one side of the blast doors, while Echo, Fives and Hevy waited at the other side. Currently, Rex was walking up to the panel to the door in a similar fashion as the droid did disguised as the clone earlier.

The droids inside noticed him and pressed the panel on their side, having the camera move up to get a better view. "Unit 2-6, is that you?"

"There are about 10 to 15 then." Ray reported, knowing that most commando squads consist of 5 to 8 units each.

"Roger, roger." The ARC trooper chuckled quietly at Rex's response to the droid, finding humor in using the droid's key phrase.

"You sound strange. Is something wrong with your vocabulator?"

"Roger, roger." Rex responded, putting his hand on his neck.

"The vocabulator's in their head." Ray commented, getting a glare from Cody.

"Take off your helmet." The droid ordered. "Let me see your faceplate."

"Roger, roger." Rex then ducked down below the camera and picked up a commando droid's head, holding it up for the droids to see.

"This is never gonna work." Cody said, shaking his head.

Much to the commander's surprise, however, the blast doors soon opened, allowing Rex to aim one of his pistols at the commando in the middle. "Clones!"

"Roger. Roger." Firing a quick shot, Rex took out the commando droid before Hevy and Ray got out of cover and blasted the other two. "Alright, let's move!"

Running forward, the clones stopped just before going up the staircase, preparing for the ambush likely set for them. "Permission to take point, sir?" Hevy asked.

"I'm always first, kid."

"Overruled!" Ray shouted, sprinting up the stairs past the Captain and rookie. Rex swore under his breath and the squad ran to catch up to the commander, getting to the top just in time to see Ray blast two commandos in the head before elbowing a third to get to the observation room's side. The one knocked over was shot by Fives and Rex, the group taking more attention away from Ray.

As the firefight started, ray was quick to dodge back and forth from blaster bolts, drawing a DC-17 pistol quickly and blasting a commando three times before throwing the pistol and the commander commando. The droid brought it's sword out and cut the pistol away before rushing at Ray, knocking his 15s out of his hands.

Dodging from side to side, Ray easily kept up with the commando droid before punching its faceplate, getting it to recoil for a second. As he reared his fist back to deliver another blow, the droid recovered and swung the sword horizontally, aiming to cleave the ARC trooper in two. As Echo aimed to aid the commander, he stared in shock as Ray bent his body back as far as he could, paralleling it to the ground while remaining solid on his feet.

Once the blade went over him, he quickly pulled out his remaining pistol and shot at the droid, hitting its chest once. The droid then moved to swing down on him, almost landing the blow before the blade was caught between Ray's hands. "That all, Clanker?" Ray asked before kicking the droid away and standing upright, flipping the blade to hold it's grip before cutting the droid diagonally, cleaving it apart.

As the droid fell to pieces, Echo and Hevy were blasting the last commando droid, taking it down in five shots. "I got one!"

"Sorry Echo. I junked that one."

"Like hell you did."

"You both did equally sad jobs of taking out a single commando droid together." Deadshot said as he elbowed Hevy as he walked past, taking his helmet off.

"Rookies feeling high and mighty right now." Ray said as he took his helmet off and went to the console, checking all of the scopes.

"Looks like that ARC trooper armor isn't just for show." Rex commented as he stood next to Ray. You can actually back up all the talk you dish out."

"Rex, you have only seen the surface." Ray responded before stopping on scope 8, Hevy's usual scope. "Everyone, head to the window. We have more guests who want a crack at the party."

Heading up, Echo put his helmet back on to use his attachable scope, and almost took a step back from what he saw in the sky. "It looks like a whole Separatist fleet."

"That's why they commandeered the outpost." Cody concluded. "They're mounting a full scale invasion."

"We have to warn command."

"Not happening Rex." Ray said from the console. "Looks like they burned the comms, nothing is getting out except for wrist communications."

"Blast."

"What's worse is they have the all-clear signal stuck. It'd take time to get it fixed and get the warning out."

"We don't have time." Rex informed as a droid transport ship was coming down.

Echo came down to help Ray, trying to see if the two could somehow fix the communications fixed. But even with the added help they were far from ready by the time the transport landed.

"We can't protect the outpost long against that army of clankers."

"Then we'll destroy the outpost instead." Rex said after Cody, getting a mix of reactions from his brothers.

"But sir, our mission is to defend this facility at all costs." Echo responded.

"We have to warn the Republic about the invasion. They'll take notice when the all-clear signal stops."

"And come running to aid push the Separatists away." Ray concluded, smirking up to the captain. "I seriously wonder how you haven't become a commander at this point Rex."

"We'll need every thermal detonator in the inventory."

"It'll take more than a few detonators to destroy this outpost."

"We can use the LT." Echo spoke up, getting the group's attention. "This moon freezes for over half the year. We use liquid tibanna as fuel to heat the base."

"Echo." Ray said, patting the rookie's shoulder. "You're gonna make it far in this army. Come on, let's gather the tanks and get it primed."

"Yes sir!"

"Everyone else, with me. We're loading up." Rex ordered as the clones all put their helmets on. The five headed into the armory, Deadshot feeling the large grin on Hevy's face as they piled in.

"I think we can even the odds a bit, commander." Fives said. "Especially since they don't know we're here."

"This one here is mine." Hevy spoke as he lifted his Z-6 rotary canon, spinning the barrel with excitement.

"Just because you have a big gun doesn't mean you're a big man." Deadshot said as he picked up his DC-15X. Checking the clip, he jammed it in a picked up a belt of magazines, hooking it around his body diagonally to offer the most freedom to grab them.

"I'd rather fight up close then from afar." Hevy said back.

"Let's just see if that attitude of yours gets you farther then it did my team leader." Deadshot responded as he pulled the bolt back on his sniper, priming it for fire.

Once they were loaded up, Hevy took the front and took guard just behind the blast doors, ready to start firing the moment it opens. Cody and Fives were ready to assist, the latter armed with dual 15S rifles while the former had a 15A rifle. AT the back of the hall was Deadshot on one knee, eyes down his sniper's scope and aimed right over Hevy's shoulder.

The sniper was determined more than ever before. He didn't so much as enjoy the last of Domino squad, but he refused to let any more soldiers die because he couldn't cover them properly. "Not twice."

"Reinforcements reporting. Open up." A battle droid said on the outside.

Cody opened up the door without a moment's hesitation, and in doing so revealed Hevy to the droids. "You didn't say please." Unloading, Hevy decimated the six droids in seconds, leading to the rest of the platoon to charge towards them. Before they got far Deadshot sniped one of the super battle droids, quickly changing his target and taking out the closest battle droid.

As Hevy, Fives and Cody all sprayed bolt after bolt at the droids, Deadshot took precision and was switching from targets at high speeds. Popping his empty clip out, he grabbed a fresh one and loaded it in seconds, pulling the bolt back once more and shooting a droid right between its optics.

"We could use a Jedi about now." Cody said as they began to be overrun, hitting the blast shield and closing it. As the clones were falling back, an explosion went off and destroyed the blast doors, allowing the droids to walk in and fire at the clones. "Fall back to the OP center!" Cody ordered. "Move!"

As they retreated, Hevy and Deadshot were covering them, firing left and right at the approaching droids. Once they reached the stairs, they turned and ran up to catch up with Cody and Fives, who were now in the OP center and heading towards Rex and Ray.

"We got a problem sir." Rex said, getting Ray's attention as he finished prepping the LT. "The handset isn't linking with the detonator."

"Well that causes a few problems." Ray muttered under his breath.

"Hevy." Rex called out to the clone. "The detonator isn't working."

"I'll take care of it sir." Hevy said as he was handed the handset. "It'll be fixed in no time. You guys get out of here."

"Just make it fast." Rex ordered as he followed Fives through the vent shaft. One after the other, each clone was piling in with Deadshot being the last one through.

Hevy worked on the detonator for a solid minute before trying to link it to the handset again. "This should do it." Testing it, he saw that the link was still busted. "This isn't good. I'm going to have to fire it manually."

"Not today rookie." Ray said, surprising his brother as he pulled Hevy up.

"Commander, you're supposed to be with the others."

"Rule number one." Ray responded, catching the clone off guard. "Well? You know the rule, or have you forgotten it already."

"We fight together." Hevy muttered.

"That's right, no man is left behind." Ray then moved his head to the door, hearing the incoming droids. "Hevy, how long would it take to get through the vents to outside?"

"About two minutes sir."

"Well then…" Ray started as he opened the second pouch on his chest plate, pulling out a thin prism from it. "It's time to set a record and go for one."

"Sir?"

"Better move fast kid." Ray said, pressing a button on the prism, causing it to start beeping. "58 seconds."

It finally dawned on Hevy what the commander did. When it did, he threw his Z-6 down and booked it to the vent, causing the commander to chuckle as he made his way in the vent. "You always were a slow one Hevy." Sliding it below the LT, Ray was now entering the vent and kept going. Instead of closing the vent, he left it open to serve as a distraction. Droids investigate what they see rather than what they hear.

**49 seconds**

Ray was being risky, but he knew that it had a chance of working. Seeing Hevy ahead, he knew that the rookie had a guarantee of making it, albeit by a few seconds.

**30 seconds**

Something that always made Ray a unique trooper was how risky he was. He had no idea how quickly he could make it through the vents, but he'd rather take that risk then lose such a promising candidate as Hevy. With time, he felt as if the troops they've picked up could become ARC troopers. They obviously lack experience, but their unique personalities and relationships were key to making amazing soldiers.

**10 seconds**

"Commander, where are you?" Deadshot questioned over the comms.

"Doing something either really cool or really stupid!"

"Commander?" As he asked, Hevy had dropped out of the vent, calming Echo and Fives from worrying of their batch brother dying. Just after however, the explosive device went off, taking the LT destroying the whole base. Fire shot out from the vent rapidly, sending the ARC trooper flying over the cliff side. "Commander!"

"Come on ace." Ray muttered as he held an ace card in his hand, aiming his cable hook at the cliff. "Give me a bit of luck here." Firing, the cable bolted over to the cliff, sticking into the wall and stopping Ray's descent. The clone sighed in relief and started to climb, but stared in shock as the hook disconnected.

Before he could fall, however, Rex and Cody caught the cable, saving the ARC trooper. "We got you sir." Rex groaned as the rest of the group went to help them, pulling Ray up in a matter of seconds.

Ray laid back on the ground, panting as debris fell around them. "Hehe, another successful mission."

"I take it back, I don't think something's wrong with you." Rex said as he smirked down to the commander. "I know something's wrong now."

"Don't make me pull rank on you."

* * *

"And that's the last of the report." Ray said, staring at the hologram of Shaak Ti from the console. After the base was destroyed, a Republic fleet was quick to appear, forcing the outnumbered Separatists to retreat.

"Commando droids, must have been exciting for you." The Jedi Master said, knowing how Ray's attitude would normally take at the situation.

"Sometimes I remember the thrill of being on the front lines." Ray responded, rolling his shoulders. "Been awhile since I fought those clankers too, haven't seen one since Geonosis during my squad's assault on a droid factory."

"You mean Ace's squad that you were the tactical weapon's expert for." Shaak Ti corrected.

"Hey, I might as well of been the leader of the squad if Ace's track record was anything to go by." Ray countered. "But besides that, I'd say we got something pretty good out of that dull station."

"Yes, the troops that survived." Shaak Ti said, remembering the mention of the clones recently let out. "Hevy, Fives, Echo and Deadshot all managed to survive, impressive given their experiences."

"They're as natural as I said they'd be." Ray commented. "But they need to learn in smaller groups, which is why I gave the clear for Rex and Cody to take two each."

"Was that wise though?"

"The 501st and 212th work together very often. I doubt they won't be apart for too long. If anything, this will strengthen their bond further and improve themselves even further."

"You're trying to make more ARC troopers."

"They all have potential to be some of the best ARCs out there. I'm hoping Rex can give Echo and Fives the idea of thinking on their feet more while Cody gives Hevy and Deadshot their need to follow orders better." Ray explained. "Other than that, they're almost perfect for the ARC troopers."

"Interesting hearing about following orders from you Ray." Shaak Ti smiled at the clone, who pulled at his armor, caught in his own trap. "I just hope your plan works, it would be a shame if they suffer from this."

"We both know I'm willing to take those risks."

"Of course."

"I'll be back by tomorrow ma'am." Ray nodded, taking his helmet off. "Make sure the cadets don't think they can get away with slacking off with me not there."

"I'll pass the message." Shaak Ti lightly laughed as the connection cut. She'd never say it, but the clone helped make most people feel normal. She had her duty as a Jedi and kept to it no matter what, but Ray made it seem almost more of a choice then her job.

Jedi were often paired with clones to balance each other, yet Ray didn't official balance with anyone. He chose to be under her, to serve on Kamino. She wasn't sure if it was for the assignment, or because he felt the need to repay her after their short meeting on Geonosis, but either way the duo worked well together. She couldn't of asked for a better second, even if his creation was a mistake.

That unique mistake to him is what makes him who he is. And thanks to it, he's proven himself to be worth keeping. Even if he lied about the exact details of that mistake. She knew it the moment she saw his ID number.

CC-01-01-25


	11. Droid Search

"So I'm guessing this plan was made by Anakin?" Jack asked as he sat in the main cannon of an AT-TE, with Rex holding onto the seat's side. The AT-TE and several others were stationed on an asteroid within Bothawui's planetary ring, keeping a guard over their fleet as General Grievous' current fleet approached.

"You'd be right."

"Of course it was." Jack shook his head as he prepped the cannon. Personally, he would've preferred to be in the fighter squadron with Anakin, but passing up a giant cannon is something he wouldn't do. Only downside is watching as the cruisers battled, having to wait for the Separatists to move past them.

Even as a cruiser was destroyed, Jack knew to hold his fire until the command was given. He and the others can return the favor once the pieces set themselves.

"Rex, old boy, it's time to join the party." Ahsoka ordered over the comms.

"With pleasure, sir." Rex responded.

"All units, fire at will!"

With them now flanking the Separatists ships, the AT-TEs could easily demolish the fleet. Since they were foolish enough to enter through the asteroid field, all of their shields were set to the forward position. Meaning the laser fire behind them was cutting through their hull like it was warm butter.

The Republic cruisers then started to fire once the enemy was within range, annihilating one cruiser after the other. Jack couldn't help but grin at the ships exploding, enjoying every last shot he fired into them. And when Grievous' ship was the last one, he aimed right at it and hovered his thumbs over the trigger. "This is for Broadside."

As the ship was torn apart by the barrage, Jack saw a bomber fighter fly out of its hangar. Even without possibly being able to tell the details, he knew it would be the droid general. And Anakin did as well, as he broke off from his attack to pursue Grievous.

It seemed as though the Jedi was going to catch up to the droid, but disaster struck as debris from one of the cruisers impaled into his Jedi fighter. It wasn't long after it caused a small explosion to the ship's wing, sending the Jedi further into the asteroid field.

"Captain, permission to change the cannon's firing to grapple." Jack requested, aiming the cannon towards Anakin's fighter.

"You sure you can make that?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I couldn't."

The captain nodded, trusting in the boy to make the shot. "Permission granted."

"Sir, yes sir." Making small adjustments, Jack aimed for the cockpit of the fighter. If the files he read were accurate, he could remove the cockpit from the fighter if enough force is used. Figuring a cable fired from a cannon was more than enough, he made the final adjustment before firing.

Watching it sail, Jack mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that the shot wouldn't miss because of the asteroid's small movements. Luckily, it connected with ease, and Jack began to pull the cable back, removing the cockpit and bringing the Jedi towards them.

"Resolute command, this is Captain Rex." Rex said over the comms as they pulled Anakin towards them. "General Skywalker is in need of immediate medical assistance, we need a pick up."

"They're on their way."

* * *

"Hey, he's waking up." Jack said as the medical droid walked away, leaving him, Ahsoka and Rex as Anakin slowly came too.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice sounding weak from what happened.

"You owe Jacky here your skin, Skyguy." Ahsoka answered.

"You are not calling me that." Jack responded before turning to Anakin. "And don't think of it as anything, sir. I was just doing my duty. After all, it was thanks to you that we won the battle."

"Grievous is AWOL, but his fleet of tinnies is nothing but spare parts." Ahsoka responded with a smile.

"Good work, all of you." Anakin spoke as his strength returned. "Where's R2?" The question caused Jack to look down in response, turning away as the Togruta answered.

"I'm sorry, Master. He's gone."

"It's my fault, sir." Jack said, sighing as his shoulders slumped. "I was so focused on getting you I forgot about Artoo completely. If I had just thought for a little longer I could have-"

"It's okay, Jack." Anakin interrupted, sitting up. "I understand. If you could do me a favor, can you get the Twilight stocked up?"

The order confused Jack, but he nodded once as an answer. "Of course, the ship's completely finished from a mechanical standpoint. Updated a fully suited for the stealth and recon missions it's intended for."

"Good, assemble a squad. Once I report this, I plan to head out and look for Artoo."

"Understood, sir." Jack saluted as he ran out of the room, heading down for the hangar. Once there, he had the hangar crew start to assemble the supplies as he called down the clones he was assigned with in his new squad. Of course, like most clones do in the preparations for these missions, complaining started as they loaded supplies.

"Get out of one outpost to become stockers, why am I not surprised." Fives, now with a new paint scheme on his armor muttered as he and Echo were moving a heavier box together, the latter also wearing a new scheme.

"It's not that bad." Echo responded.

"Oh it's that bad." Jack said, carrying one of his own boxes and setting it down behind the added fighter in the Twilight's cargo hold. Anakin felt it was smart to take his fighter along, and Jack was glad to at least fly the ship long enough to get it in. Working around it though is a little annoying.

"See, the kid get's it." Fives said, motioning his head over to Jack as he passed. "Loading supplies honestly feels like a step down from Rishi."

"That's right, you two were stationed there correct?" Jack asked, watching as the two set their crate down in the cargo hold. "Ever see a clone named Deadshot?"

"Yeah, he was the only one of us who saw combat before the attack." Echo answered. "He was rather reclusive though, never really talked that much."

"Yeah, that's Deadshot."

"Was a quick aim though." Fives added on. "Took down quite a few clankers once he got his hands on a sniper rifle."

"In his words, 'the best sniper in the Republic'." Jack chuckled, remembering the trooper's pride in his skills.

"Hey, you're that same kid that he talked about when reading the reports he got, aren't you?" Fives asked. As it was their first time meeting, the clones never had a chance to so much as hear Jack's name used on him. And with him currently out of armor, it wasn't obvious that he was the one volunteer that was within clone ranks.

"Yep, Jack." He introduced, shaking hands with the two.

"Fives."

"Echo."

"Must have been one hell of a change in pace when the commando droids hit huh?" Jack asked.

"You can say that again."

"We would've been done for if it wasn't for Captain Rex and Commanders Cody and Ray."

"Are we all set up?" Anakin asked, interrupting the three's conversation as he walked up alongside Ahsoka and his 'new' astromech.

R3-S6, R2-D2's replacement as Anakin's astromech, was a newer model with supposed all new features and processing power. It had a black and gold design, which lead to Ahsoka giving him the nickname Goldie. Personally Jack couldn't care less for the astromech, as it gave him a weird feeling in his gut. Although that's likely because he's more of a fan of using modern or older tech of cultures rather than newer ones.

"Yes, sir. The last of the supplies have been loaded. We were just waiting on you." Jack answered.

"Let's get a move on then."

Nodding, Jack shut the cargo hold's door and walked up to pilot the ship, sitting down as Anakin took the co-pilot seat. Everyone would spread around the flight deck, with Rex and Matchstick on the scanners. Against the two's desired thoughts though, Goldie was between Jack and Anakin, ready to assist when need be.

Once they were all set, they took off and headed into the scrap field from the recent battle. "Set the scanners to find power sources in the area, we can't track Artoo but we can find the remains of power from Anakin's old ship."

"Understood." Matchstick responded, setting the scanners.

Following the signal, they would start to slow down as they approached the destroyed Jedi fighter. "There's my ship." Anakin said, using the Force to turn it to look at the upper part of it, pausing as he saw the missing astromech. "Artoo's gone. He must have escaped."

"Sir, we're picking up another ship within the area." Echo informed.

"Scavengers most likely." Jack concluded, moving to follow the signal. He then groaned as he saw the ship's design, his shoulder's slumping as he suddenly looked tired. "A Trandoshan scavenger at that."

"What's got you suddenly in a bad mood?" Ahsoka asked.

"If it was a regular Trandoshan I'd be fine. But scavengers are a problem."

"Wouldn't a regular one try and kill you?" Fives asked.

"Kill, yes? Trick, no." Jack responded. "With Trandoshan scavengers, you have no idea what they're planning. They may be selling you salvage, droids or spare parts on one hand, but on the other they're deceiving and trying to space you after you trip over one piece of valuable scarp they left on the floor. I mean seriously, if it's that important why leave it on the floor like a worthless trinket?"

"Uhhhh, speaking from experience?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Can you just get us in?" Anakin asked.

"Of course, I got the signal for a buyer on hand." Jack responded, tapping on the upper panel before heading for the ship, sending the signal. Once done, he approached the airlock on the bottom of it and connected in, locking the hatches together. "Alright, we're good. Matchstick, take the wheel while I'm gone."

"Understood."

"You're coming?" Ahsoka asked as she and Anakin put on brown cloaks.

"Jack's going to be combing around with us." Anakin answered. "He's got a special eye for finding something you wouldn't look for."

"If the Trandoshan's lying, I'll find a way to get the truth." Jack added as he put a grey jacket on. "Plus, someone's got to look like the normal person in the group. Most travelers don't where cloaks like that unless they're hiding something."

Traveling up the airlock, Jack rolled his eyes as R3 beeped excitedly. The droid just bothered him, he couldn't tell why. Maybe it's because Ahsoka likes him, which would make the most sense as of now.

Once they were in, Ahsoka and Anakin both reacted to the strong horrid stench that came with it, while Jack remained normal. "Ugh, what's that smell?"

"Trandoshan scavenger musk." Jack answered as Anakin swiftly got used to the stench. "If you thought I smelled bad after working on the ship, you're in for a rude awakening on stenches throughout the galaxy."

Soon after, two eye cameras emerged from the wall, staring at the four. "Om ma, nikh lackin ockra?" The eyes spoke, coming through in Trandoshan.

"Mock shinka nakh ramak norokama nicht shek." Jack responded, understanding the language just fine.

"Orokana moshiraka niko mirok, naka?"

"Naka." Jack nodded, pointing over his shoulder to Ahsoka. "Naminaka comkra nimoko raksha no preka lok."

The Trandoshan then laughed and the cameras retracted. "Okay, he's willing to sell a droid."

"You speak Trandoshan?" Anakin asked.

"I speak twelve languages, mostly because I've encountered bounty hunters who don't speak my natural tongue. Had to if I wanted to avoid a bolt to the head over a loss in translation." Jack explained. "It's honestly weird how much Trandoshans focus on using K in their words. It's easier counting ones without it by almost ten times."

"And why did you point to me?" Ahsoka asked.

"Threw you under the bus, saying you lost the last one." Jack answered, smirking as he did.

"Why you little-!"

Before the Togruta could attack the boy, the door began to open, only for it to stop halfway. Hearing annoyed grumbling, the Trandoshan began to climb through, revealing his smaller and nearly disfigured form to them. Jack expected as much from the scavenger, most Trandoshan's are hulking warriors, bread for hunting. Only the ones that can't keep up and are weaker turn to scavenging.

Gha Nachkt, the Trandoshan scavenger, smiled as he looked to Jack. "So, what kind of droid are you looking to buy?"

"Well you see as I said, sweetie here lost one of her precious droids." Jack spoke as he walked behind Ahsoka, putting his hands on Ahsoka's shoulder, silently whispering to play along. "And she has her heart set on another R2 unit. You know how girls can be with material things." Jack then held in a shout as Ahsoka stepped down hard on his foot discreetly, forcing Jack to smile the pain away. "So, do you have any?"

"Hmmm, I don't believe I've seen any R units for quite some time now." Gha responded, his attention going to R3. "Nice R3 unit. Trade for a C-14?"

"Not on your life, lizardo."

_'She just can't make my job easy can she?'_ Jack thought as the Togruta responded.

"Now let's see how much I have here." Anakin said, attempting to take the attention away from the duo. Pulling out credits from his pocket, the Jedi Knight made sure the Trandoshan could see the several gold and silver credit pieces. A scavenger really enjoys credits, and when a lot are shown, they'll do plenty to try and get it.

The plan got the desired goal, as Gha seemed to have a small change in thoughts. "Tell you what. I may have an R2 unit buried somewhere in the hold."

"Good thinking Anakin." Jack whispered as the group followed Gha through the ship.

"Help yourself." Gha said, opening the door to the hold. "But be careful, there are many… unique items down here." It seemed strange to jack, a Trandoshan allowing buyers to walk freely among their salvage without any supervision. And with one like Gha, he seemed especially greedy, the risks of this was too high to go through.

As they walked among the tons of salvage, Jack was set on placing a transmitter somewhere in the vents. He just had to get up high enough to get one there. "I'll check somewhere on the top shelves." He said, climbing up the individual shelves due to the lack of ladders.

"Don't fall and break your head open."

"We both know you said that just to try and jinx it." Luckily for Jack, Gha was at least pretty tidy when it came to his salvage. Most were in kept in crates, only a few spare parts lying about. He didn't have to worry about grabbing something that wasn't the shelf and go tumbling like the Togruta below wanted.

Once at the top, Jack made it appear as though he was browsing, rubbing his chin as he opened the box to look. The box was actually filled with a multitude of weapons, ranging from Gungan electro-spheres to Republic blasters. Jacks attention went to an old Mandalorian blaster, the once smooth metal rusted and worn from years of neglecting.

Picking it up, Jack made it appear as if he was inspecting the weapon, testing how well he could hold it and the weight behind it. When he held it up to look at the side of it, he flicked his wrist and sent a small transmitter into the vent, smirking as it attached and turned on. With it in the vents, the scavenger ship would give off sounds from all around it, nothing inside the hull would go without a sound. And once he turned on the receiver he placed in his ear, he could listen in once they left.

_'Never know if you're being lied to. But always suspect the worse when dealing with Trandoshans.'_

The lights to the room then turned on, confusing Jack as he looked down to the group. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Goldie just made a small mistake and turned on the lights instead of opening a hatch." Ahsoka answered.

"An R3 making a mistake that simple?" Jack muttered. "Even I can splice something as simple as that, and I can barely hotwire a coffee machine." The sound of machines whirring then caught his attention, and he looked down to see two IG-88s, assassin droids, power on. "That can't be good."

Letting his instinct take over, he aimed at the droids and fired two shots from the Mandalorian blaster, hitting one in the back while missing the other. The shot didn't take it out, but it stopped the droids from approaching Ahsoka and turn to him. "That stupid droid turned on the IGs!"

Turning, Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber and cut one of the droid's arms off as Anakin approached and Force Pushed the them into a pile of boxes. "Goldie, shut these droids down."

Before the astromech could follow the Padawan's orders, the IG-88s removed their power cords, making sure they couldn't be powered off. "Ah, that's just great." Jack groaned as he aimed and fired again, this time hitting with enough accuracy to shoot one of the two droids in the back of the head, offing it easily.

This however brought him as the focus for the second assassin droid, turning its head and arm around to blast at him from bellow. With the limited space he had, Jack was forced off of the shelves, falling towards the metal floor. Before he landed, Anakin quickly caught him with the Force, lightly putting him down to avoid further injury.

The assassin droid was now on the move, quickly going up and across the shelves while blasting at them with its salvaged E-5 blaster. The two Jedi were set on the defensive, blocking the blaster bolts while trying to deflect a shot back at the droid. Jack on the other hand was firing at the droid, almost managing to hit it with each shot, only missing because of the droid's quick reflexes.

"You're better at shooting one of those then a DC blaster." Anakin commented, blocking a shot that was aimed for his head.

"Oh, well… there's less recoil." Jack shrugged as he stepped to the side to avoid a blast, aiming with one hand and blasting the droid's leg, causing it to fall to the ground.

As the droid tried to get up, Ahsoka quickly leaped at it and cut it in half vertically, ending the battle. "You're right, Master. Experience is way better than the archives."

"Good job, both of you." Anakin praised as he and Ahsoka deactivated their lightsabers. His mood then turned sour as he looked at R3, the droid still connected to a panel. "As for you, Stubby, you'd make a poor excuse for a light switch."

The droid was bothered by this sadly beeping as it continued to work on the panel. "I'm sure he did his best." Ahsoka said, trying to defend the golden droid.

"Oh yeah, he was doing his best sure." Jack started, wiping some of the rust from the old blaster. "Doing his best at trying to kill us all. I mean come on, assassin droids? I've worked with an R1 and it never came close to making a mistake like that."

"R3 can't even get the door open." Anakin added as he walked back to the hatch, preparing to open the door. As he approached it, R3 finally managed to open the door, annoying the Knight even further. "A little late, Stubby."

Once the door opened, it revealed Gha from behind, prompting Anakin to activate his saber once more. "If you didn't have a lightsaber, you'd be a dead man."

"And if you didn't have assassin droids, there wouldn't have been the worry of anything." Jack added, walking up next to Anakin and aiming his blaster at the Trandoshan.

"Where's my droid?"

"Master, what are you doing?" Ahsoka questioned, grabbing Anakin's free arm. "Artoo's not here."

Anakin kept his eyes set on the Trandoshan for a few seconds before deactivating his lightsaber, Jack at the same time lowering his gun. "Let's get out of here." Anakin said, pushing the Trandoshan out of the way as they headed out of the ship.

"I told you there were no R2 droids down here." Gha said as the three walked away." He then looked into the hold and saw the remains of two of his assassin droids. "Look at this mess you made. You owe me, Jedi."

"You tried to kill us, call it even." Jack said back as the airlock door closed and they lowered back down into the Twilight. The trooper sighed as they walked back into the flight deck, Jack deciding to take the radar as he sat down, dropping the blaster to the ground.

"Rough trip?" Fives asked.

"It always is when you're shopping with a girl."

"I heard that." Ahsoka responded.

"I know, that's why I said it out loud." Jack chuckled as the ship disconnected and they started to fly away.

"What's with the blaster?" Denal asked.

"The little shopping trip ended up with something shooting at us as usual, so I had to arm myself." Jack answered. "Luckily that Trandoshan had a blasters from quite a while back."

"This blaster has a Mandalorian design." Echo commented, picking up the blaster to look at it. "This thing must be almost decades old with the amount of rust on it. Or someone dropped it into a corrosive water to get it this badly rusted."

"Just shows how stingy that lizard must be to still have it." Jack said as he went to look at the scanners. "I'm sorry we couldn't find Artoo, sir."

"It isn't your fault Jack."

"But it is. I fired the cable, I was the one who only focused on getting Anakin to safety." Jack responded as he slammed his fist down. "I completely forgot about a droid that's helped us every step of the way. I might as well of left any one in this squad as well."

"Take it easy Jack." Rex commented, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Not everything goes the way you hope it will. Sometimes things just don't work out well."

"I've known that for a long time." Jack muttered, looking at his partial reflection on the scanner's screen. "But knowing that doesn't make it any easier."

* * *

The crew had then returned back to the Resolute, everyone remaining on standby until further orders were given. Jack spent the time tinkering with the blaster, attempting to fully remove the rust that was on it. While he did so, he was sitting on top of the Twilight, having the empty void of space in view to give him some comfort.

"You seem bothered." Ahsoka commented as she walked up to the ship, looking up to the boy as he worked on the blaster.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can sense your torn feelings about Artoo, Jacky."

"I told you not to call me that."

"Stop calling me Shorty."

"Alas, the galaxy is cruel." Jack then turned his attention to the darkness of space, placing the blaster to his side for a short time. "So what are you doing here?"

"Can't I just visit my assigned trooper whenever?"

"We both know you've been avoiding me whenever we aren't on a mission." Jack called her out, giving her a half lidded stare. "So just ask what you want so you can move on with your day."

"Subtle." Ahsoka whispered before speaking up. "Alright, I wanted to know how you know so much from experience when you're only a year older than me?"

"I already explained." Jack responded, picking up the blaster almost a little too hastily for Ahsoka's liking. "I had a rough upbringing with experimentation thrown into the mix. Not much else to it then that."

"And how you used that rifle so well?" Ahsoka asked, noticing Jack pause for a second.

"I said that as well, less recoil. It might as well be like a DC-17 pistol."

"Your first two shots managed to hit a droid right in the back, you shot too familiarly for someone just picking that kind of weapon up."

"How did you join the Jedi Order?"

"What?" Ahsoka asked, caught off guard by the boy's question.

"How did you join the Jedi Order?" He repeated, looking down to the Togruta. "They don't accept those who have grown much more past the age of seven, and most are brought up as infants. So, how did you get brought into the Order?"

"…" Ahsoka remained silent for almost a minute, debating whether or not to tell the boy about he trip. On one hand, he had no right to know. On the other, it might be a test to let her get the information she wanted to learn herself. "Master Plo found me, he brought me into the Order after saving me."

"So just like Hawke, you feel a connection to Plo?" Jack questioned, jumping down from the ship to focus on Ahsoka. "Which means you have a sort of guardian bond with him, correct?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Which means you went against the Jedi teachings by insisting on going after him a couple weeks ago, huh?"

"That's not the-"

"And if I were to guess, you knew about that the whole time." Jack continued, looking down at the Togruta as he did. "A Jedi Padawan who tries to balance her beliefs but also goes against the teachings she's grown with since she was little. That is what I've gathered from this conversation. And that was from one sentence you gave me."

Jack then started to walk away from the Padawan, taking a step up the Twilight's ramp before stopping. "The knowledge of people is very easily seen through actions, few words are needed to truly understand someone. If you really want to know more about my past, then take my actions into account. I'm headstrong, seeking approval from the soldiers I'm fighting alongside with, determined to fight in a war instead of living a normal life, and I DON'T want to talk about my past in detail. All of that should give you enough hints on why I'm who I am now. So tell me, what can you assume from what I've given you?"

Ahsoka stared at Jack in total silence for several minutes before coming to a conclusion. "That you're… haunted by the things that have happened to you. That all you want now is to try and find semblance of a life you want, even if it means going through even more pain. But you don't want to go through all of it alone, and that you care for everyone you care for."

Jack said nothing in response, he simply continued to walk up the ramp until he entered the Twilight. With the Togruta left alone, she could think further on the encounter.

Much like her master, Jack refuses to go into any detail on what his early years were like. All he would leave is the ominous sense of illusion and a lack of true understanding from anyone. Thinking on that, she started to think on the fact that Jack himself may not understand the true reasons of his past. Perhaps that search of approval comes from the lack of having anyone to look up to, and now that he has it he doesn't know how to react. That much could explain his lack of fully acknowledging authority and rank among the Republic's army.

But that still leaves out the true purpose behind his skills and attitude. If his past was as bad as he claims it was, why become someone who worries over everyone? There are thousands of people with pasts like that, and most become mercenaries or bounty hunters. Why chose to fight for an army when you could simply fight for yourself?

He certainly acts at times like the only person he can fully rely on is himself. He has trust, but he's hesitant to truly put his faith in someone. Ahsoka's his commanding officer and yet he still refuses to give her the trust he gives others like Hawke and her master, the former having not been through as much with him as she had.

It was a mystery, but it was one she was dedicated to figure out. If it got her to find out about the past of the soldier with no respect for her, then she can understand how to figure out people like he does. Jack's skill in figuring people out was the reason behind the conversation, but the result of it may cause a bit more than she planned. Knowing about who they are currently is important, but perhaps learning their past may be just as vital or even more.

"Ugh, it had to be the most annoying soldier of the Republic, didn't it?" Ahsoka asked as she rolled her eyes, walking away from the Twilight.

"One day Ahsoka." Jack said to himself as he looked out from the flight deck's window, his arms crossed as he watched the Togruta leave the hangar. "One day you'll understand why people don't ant to talk about their past. And unfortunately the skill you'll pick up from it might not be as good as you're cracking it up to be."

"But then again, it'll be vital in your growth." Jack said as he looked over to his graduation medal hanging on the wall, the one decoration he set up in the whole ship. "Sometimes you have to lose in order to gain. And that's the easy part. Your recovery will be the hard part. So I'll wish you luck on that much, Shorty."


	12. Grievous Threat

"Approaching signal's origin, stand by." Jack informed as he and the previous leave squad was flying in the Twilight. Just a few minutes ago Anakin's tracking beacon had gone off just shortly after he left.

In that short amount of time Ahsoka managed to gather the squad and were off in just a few minutes. He'd never admit it, but he was impressed with the Padawan's quick work at getting everyone together so quickly.

"How much longer?" Ahsoka asked.

"We'll be dropping out of Lightspeed in just a minute." Jack answered, flipping several of the switches above him.

"Get ready on the guns, Commander." Echo spoke up to Ahsoka, turning from the sensors. "Sensors are picking up several droid fighters approaching General Skywalker."

"Got it." Ahsoka responded, gripping the gun controls as they dropped out of Lightspeed. Once they were, it didn't take long to see the several fighters about to attack Anakin's still Jedi fighter, and were easy pickings to the Twilight's weapons.

"Cargo bay doors are open now." Jack said, speaking over the comms to Anakin. "I'd recommend getting inside while you still have the chance, sir."

"I'd love to, but R3's having a problem with the engines." The Jedi Knight responded, getting Jack's attention.

_'First the lights, then the assassin droids, now the engines? And what happened to Anakin's hyperdrive ring?'_ Jack thought as Anakin's engines came to life and he began flying towards them. Jack now remained on a steady coarse as Ahsoka shot at the next wave of fighters, making small movements to avoid the fighters' shots as well as the two droid cruisers.

"Keep her steady, almost there." Anakin said as the two ships aligned, his attention set on the open hangar. Shortly after he managed to skid inside, going to his communicator when it finally stopped. "I'm in, go!"

"Denal, Rex, get the hyperdrive ready." Jack ordered, closing the cargo bay's doors as he sped up, heading for the frigates. "We're going right between those ships."

Seeing the freighter's path, the two cruisers began to move on one another, closing the gap between them. While his focus was more set on avoiding the fighters behind them, Jack was able to keep a path set for the cruiser's wings. As he approached, he had the lower wing fold up in time to spin upside down, the ship barely making it through as sparks went off where the hull's met.

With the fighters now cut off or destroyed, the squad had the open window they needed to make their escape. "Hit it Rex." Without another word, the clone pulled the hyperdrive lever and the ship took off, escaping the Separatists cruisers and their general.

"Escaping to empty space, give us ten minutes and we'll prep our next jump twenty after." Jack spoke as he got up from his seat and began to head for the cargo bay entrance. "Matchstick, take over for me."

"Got it kid." Matchstick responded, taking the pilot seat shortly after.

"And where are you going?" Ahsoka questioned, raising an eye-ridge at him.

"Well, Anakin's ship had engine problems." Jack said back, opening the door. "While you're all patrolling, I'll see what repairs are needed for the ship." He then closed the door behind him and walked down to the starfighter, the Jedi exiting already while the droid went through the process.

"Thanks for the save Jack." Anakin said to the boy, who waved his hand in response.

"It was nothing." Jack responded. "Ahsoka and Rex are up in the front. I'll check what went wrong with your ship while we're looking for the listening outpost the droids have."

"Thanks, although I much more blame Stubby then the ship." Anakin said back, heading up to the flight deck after the two passed.

Jack heard the droid beep sadly at that, getting his eyes to roll. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Klutz." Jack responded as he crawled under the ship and opened the engine plating. Hearing the droid roll away, he activated his listening device as he checked the ship's engine.

_"I am entering your orbit now, General."_

"Bingo." Jack grinned, hearing Gha's voice in the comms.

_"I will be at your station shortly."_

"All I have to do now is track that signal." Jack spoke to himself, groaning when he heard wheels rolling. "What is it Klutz?" R3 beeped in response, asking a question to the boy. "I mean, Artoo meant a lot to Anakin. It's difficult to replace something that's valuable to someone. And please don't interrupt me right now, I'm trying to both check the ship's engines and track a signal at the same time."

R3 beeped again, getting the boy to shrug. "Just something I put in Gha's ship while we were there. I can definitely confirm he's working for Grievous right now. And it sounds like he's heading to the outpost that's been listening in on our communications."

The astromech then beeped excitedly, making a request to him. "Well, I mean, if you really want to help can you bolt the systems down? I want to minimize the chance of getting shocked down." The mech then rolled over to the starfighter and plugged into it, working on it for a few seconds.

"It looks like the engines are almost perfectly fine." Jack commented as he worked. "What made you guys almost stranded earlier?" R3 beeped his answer, confusing Jack. "Lag? With a single starfighter, a Jedi grade one at that? One that's brand new? Forgive me, but that sounds like shrak." Jack earpiece then started to beep more frequently, getting him to smile. "The signal's almost been traced, just a little more and-"

Before he finished, R3's tampering had set off an energy spike, causing electricity to flow through the wires that were in Jack's hand. The volts themselves weren't nearly high enough to do more then give him a jolt, but the earpiece was going crazy over the shock. So much it overloaded and burned in his ear, nearly exploding as it fried his ear.

"AGGGHHHH! BLAST!"

The commotion was more then load enough to get the rest of the squad's attention, to which Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex and Denal ran out to the cargo hold. Getting down the stairs just in time to see Jack crawl from under the starfighter, clutching his right ear as he held in the pain. "What happened?"

"Nrgh, electrical failure." Jack responded, groaning as Denal and Rex helped him sit up. "The fighter's wiring fried the communicator in my ear, other than that no real injuries."

"Let's see it kid." Rex said, trying to get a better look at the injury. Jack complied, revealing the traces of blood coming down from it. Rex then saw and grabbed the small communicator, pulling it out and holding it between his fingers. "Yep, this would do it." Rex commented, seeing the mix of small twisted metal and blood covering it.

"Do you have any idea how this happened?" Anakin asked, the clones helping Jack up as he put his hand back over his right ear.

The boy looked over to R3, his eyes narrowing at the droid before looking back to Anakin normally. "Klutz here was supposed to keep the power down while I worked on the ship, sudden activation isn't common but I'd rather of not risked it. He messed up somewhere and it set off my communicator."

"You can't be sure of that." Ahsoka interjected, defending the droid. "Maybe he wasn't able to stop it, but what if he set it low enough to keep it from frying you completely."

"Ahsoka, this thing is a manufacturing disaster." Jack responded, pointing to the astromech. "I have never seen one fail so much at the most simple of tasks. I could get a protocol droid to do better than that hunk of shiny metal."

The astromech beeped sadly in response before rolling away, getting only a sympathetic look from Ahsoka. The Padawan turned back to Jack, giving him a light glare. "Great, now you're hurting R3's feelings."

"His feelings? His feelings? My ear just almost blew up-agh!" jack recoiled in pain as he grabbed his ear with both hands, the pain spiking from his volume.

"We should get you to the medical droid." Denal said, grabbing Jack and leading him out of the cargo bay and to the medical station set up.

"I seriously don't like that droid." Jack muttered.

"Yeah, none of us do."

* * *

"You're injury is stabilized, sir. But I'd recommend not going on a mission so soon." The medical droid spoke as Jack was armoring up, finishing putting the last of his gear on. The boy had bandage wrapping around his ear and up part of his forehead, keeping the damaged ear from bleeding or becoming contaminated.

"I'm still a soldier. I can't let something like a small hearing impairment from stopping me from serving." Jack responded, grabbing his helmet as he walked to the door. "Thank you for the patch up, doc. But I'll be heading out with the others."

"Of course, sir."

Walking out, Jack slightly cringed as his ear was ringing, annoying him with the constant sound. But he had to remain focused. While he was getting patched up, they received a signal from R2-D2. The droid was able to reveal the location of the listening post, and they were given orders to destroy it before the Separatists cracked his memory banks.

Heading into the cargo hold, he saw everyone getting ready, either loading up or setting their equipment up. The only ones not going were Echo and Matchstick, the two remaining on the ship for pickup once their mission was done. Looking to his left, he saw the last jetpack on the ground and took it, setting it up with surprising familiarity and ease. Once done, he went down to weapons rack and grabbed a DC-15S rifle before his gaze stuck to the Magnaguard staff.

He hadn't gotten rid of the staff after getting it from the droid, and had actually made some small adjustments to it. He was able to get more power to the electrical points, but at the cost of its resistivity of lightsabers on the grip of it. Shrugging, he placed his rifle on his lower back before grabbing the staff, locking it to the right of his back just away from his jetpack to give him mobility.

"How you holding up, kid?" Rex asked, walking up to jack.

"Mostly fine." Jack responded, turning to the captain. "My ear's likely going to be deaf for a couple of days. But the droid said it'll heal up by the time we head back to Coruscant."

"That's good. You all prepped?"

"All set and ready to go, sir."

"Good." Rex nodded before walking away. "Oh, and the commander wanted to see you."

"Oh, great." Jack whispered under his breath. A talk with Ahsoka isn't fun when he knows she's mad at him. Which in this situation he feels it isn't right since he's the one who got hurt from it. He nearly had lost his ear and all R3 got was a light scolding from him. He could've been a lot, a LOT, worse.

Heading over to the Padawan, he groaned as he saw her going over checks on R3. "We're bringing Klutz along with us?"

"We'll need Goldie to open secured hatches and access the station's computer for us." Ahsoka explained, standing up. "Oh, and Jack, you get to carry him."

"What?" Jack questioned as she smirked and walked away. "Hold up now, I'm supposed to carry the decretive tin that nearly blew up my ear?"

"Well originally it was Rex, but I figured you were far more qualified for the part." She said back, watching as his shoulders slumped. "And hey, it'll be a way for you two to get closer."

"Last time that happened I almost went completely deaf in that same ear." Jack muttered as he looked down to the droid, who beeped excitedly at him. "Of course this happens to me."

Before long, the squad was fully ready and the listening station was just below the ship. Matchstick had the cargo hold door open, revealing the cloudy and stormy weather there was. "Follow me, boys!" Ahsoka shouted over the raging winds, running and jumping off the Twilight.

While the rest jumped off on their own, Jack awkwardly wobbled till he simple fell. Carrying R3 drastically impaired his mobility, something he very much distasted. But he was at least accepting towards the fall, enjoying the sound blowing past his helmet, on the left side anyways.

The fall had nearly lasted for a full two minutes before they all landed, the Jedi using the Force to stop their fall and the clones activating their jetpacks. Jack was the last to land, almost falling over backwards from the shift of weight thanks to R3. He then looked over to the clones and pointed at Fives. "Next time, you're lugging this astromech around." Each of the clones laughed, enjoying the boy's struggle.

Anakin then activated his lightsaber and cut a hole through the listening post's hull, giving them the entrance in. While the clones went in first, Jack wobbled to the hole while Ahsoka watched with a smirk. "Get that shrak eating grin off your face." Jack said as he passed by her and down the hole, nearly falling over again upon landing. He then disconnects R3 from him, placing the mech down before moving to give Ahsoka the room she needed to jump down.

Once set, the squad started heading towards the staging point of the mission, a three-way corridor that was patrolled by two lone battle droids. Jack was the first to reach them, grabbing the one by its neck before pulling with all his strength, ripping its head clean off its body. Rex aided him by shooting the second droid, and they moved on after Jack threw the head away and kept moving.

Finding a console, Goldie plugged into it and projected an image of the flying listening post. "We are here." Rex started, pointing towards their section of the massive station. "The reactors are 30 levels below us, there."

"Ahsoka, you take the squad and blow up those reactors." Anakin ordered as he took the pack of explosives off his back and handed it to Ahsoka. "Gravity will do the rest. We'll meet in the landing bay."

"Where are you going?" Ahsoka asked, taking the pack and securing it on her back.

"I'm just going to have a little look around." Anakin responded as he started to walk off.

"I hear there's an astromech here, I bet it'd be quite the coincidence to see you coming back with another one." Jack said, smiling under his helmet.

"Alright, let's move out." Ahsoka ordered, and the squad began to move through the station, finding the quickest route down to the reactors. About halfway down the station, Jack stopped and turned, seeing that R3 was missing. "Klutz is missing."

"What?" Ahsoka asked, the whole squad stopping. "Where is he?"

"I wouldn't have said he's missing if I knew where he was." Jack responded, rolling his eyes underneath his helmet. "I'll go find him, we'll catch up." Starting to head back, he could hear R3's beeping a few meters away, talking as if he was receiving orders from someone. That caused Jack's good ear to twitch, giving him a small sense of suspicion as he headed towards the beeping. "Hey Klutz, where are you?"

He then heard R3 beep in response before rolling out into view. "And why are you back here all by yourself? It shouldn't be hard to follow a squad of soldiers and a Jedi." R3 beeped an excuse out, one that Jack certainly didn't believe but didn't call out on him. "Yeah, well, try and keep up. Come on." Waving his shoulder to the direction of the squad, the astromech and soldier began to move once more, meeting up with the rest of the team just short of the reactor.

As they reached it however, a security alarm went off. And before they could enter a ray shield went up over the door, blocking their objective.

"We found the reactor room, sir." Rex informed over the comms. "The alarm triggered another security door, ray-shielded."

"This could take a while to bypass." Ahsoka added.

"Good luck with that." Anakin responded over the comms before cutting the connection.

"Go ahead, Goldie." Ahsoka said, taking the explosives pack off. "Make me proud." The astromech rolled up to the door's console and began to work.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun." Fives said, getting a slightly annoyed look from Ahsoka before they all turned back to the astromech.

As R3 started to work, the sound of droids marching was heard down the hall, gaining their attention. "Those droids are getting closer, sir." Denal said.

"Do you think R3 is going to open that door before we're riddled with blaster rounds?" Jack questioned, shrugging his shoulders.

"He's working on it." Ahsoka snipped back to him. "Patience, Jack."

The droids marching was getting louder and louder, and with each step the squadron was getting more antsy for the approaching battle. "I can always hot-wire it, sir." Denal brought up.

"Hurry up, Goldie."

"Hey, don't mean to be that guy but we're out of time." Jack said, raising his blaster towards the squadron of droids.

"Blast 'em!" The droids were the first to fire, attempting to use their numbers to their advantage. The others fired back shortly after and took cover while Ahsoka activated her lightsaber and would deflect the shots. The clones would have just enough cover to peak out quickly and fire in short bursts before going back into cover.

As the first droid was taken down, a door went over the ray shield, adding onto the problem. "I am really starting to hate that droid." Fives said as he and another clone fired at the droids taking one out before being forced back into cover.

"I'm thinking that Klutz really is trying to get us killed now." Jack responded, feeling the hair on his neck stand when a blast from behind just missed his head. Turning quickly, he fired back at a group of approaching super battle droids, alerting everyone else to their presence.

Knowing the larger droids were better shots, Ahsoka turned her attention towards them, parrying their shots and simply dodging the droids behind her. "Rex, droid poppers, now!" She ordered.

"Droid poppers!" Rex shouted as he threw one of the EMP grenades at the feet of the super battle droids, who all scrambled to attempt and blast it before it went off. They failed, resulting in the quick shut down.

Fives then threw at the regular battle droids, taking them down without much more resistance then a failed attempt to throw the popper back. With the action over, Jack sighed in relief as he stood up from his cover, the squad meeting at the center of the hall. "Well… that was something."

"We're going to have this whole station on us if we remain here too long." Rex concluded. "Denal, get on that console and open up the reactor room."

"What about Goldie?"

"I think we've had enough problems as it is." Jack responded to Ahsoka's question, getting a sharp look from the Jedi. "Look, that little punk messed me up already back then, and now he can't so much as open a door. This isn't rocket science Shorty, which I may remind you, R3 units should know!"

"They sent a child to destroy my station." Everyone's focus snapped at the cold and metallic voice that spoke from across the hall. The voice belonged to the notorious Kaleesh cyborg, General Grievous. The cyborg stood over seven feet in height, and with the removal of his cape revealed the two lightsabers on his frame's waist.

The situation was bad, something Jack was able to register right from the start. Grievous is known as the deadliest Jedi hunter in the galaxy, having claimed countless Padawans, Knights and even some of the best of Jedi Masters. And here they were, with only six soldiers and one Padawan learner.

No matter how he put it, the odds were not in their favor.

"The Republic must be running out of Jedi." Grievous said, laughing at the thought of a Padawan facing him.

"General Grievous." Jack spoke up, attempting to take the cyborg's attention off of Ahsoka, who was obviously going to be his main target. "You're much shorter than I was expecting." That simple got another laugh from the cyborg before it turned to a cough, a trait the general had for reasons he couldn't tell.

"He's just another tinny, boys." Ahsoka said, igniting her lightsaber in defiance. "Let's scrap him like the rest."

"No, Ahsoka wait!" Jack tried to call as he reached for the Padawan, missing her as she charged right at the cyborg as he activated a blue lightsaber. The two then clashed a single time before Grievous over powered her and knocked her to the side, stunning her from the strength behind it.

He and the clones then attempted to blast the general, all firing controlled at the same time. The cyborg however managed to deflect one of the shots back to a trooper, killing him before lunging towards all of them. From there, he landed and cut another clone across the chest before spinning and kicking the rest of the squad away.

Jack was the first to get back up, not even surprised at how easily the droid general defeated them. He wasn't a Jedi killer for nothing after all, one that can toe to toe with a Master at that. Seeing the towering cyborg approach Rex, Jack reached behind him and pulled off the Magnaguard staff. As the cyborg raised his saber and was about to cut down the unconscious clone, Jack was suddenly next to him.

Spinning the staff, Jack activated the electric ends and slammed one against the droid's head. Thanks to the electricity, the impact was immense to the general and sent him skidding away before his clawed feet pierced into the ground and stopped himself. "Ragh!"

"Sorry there tin man, but you're gonna have to try harder to kill my team." Jack said as he held the staff, spinning it before pointing it at Grievous.

The cyborg laughed darkly as he held his saber forward. "And am I to believe a single clone could take me down?"

"Don't have to beat you." Jack responded, seeing Ahsoka slowly coming back to consciousness. "Just stall you long enough to catch you off guard."

"You got one hit in, clone." Grievous spat, walking menacingly towards the boy, who was backing up away from the squad as he followed. "Something that will not happen a second time."

"Give me time, I'll surprise you."

Grievous then began to slash at jack, the boy using his staff to block the incoming strikes just in the nick of time. Being purely on the defense, he was being pushed back with each powerful swing. When he'd block a swing from his right, he had to instantly raise one of the ends up to parry another from the general. The pure ferocity that Grievous showed was beyond anything Jack had encountered before.

_'I'd take a Rancor over this monster.'_ Jack thought as he dodged to the side, swinging his staff out in an attempt to hit Grievous' feet. The cyborg saw this and raised his foot up before slamming it on the ground, stopping the boy from even getting another attack out. With a single slash, grievous cut the staff in half, leaving Jack to leave both halves as he was now set solely on evasion.

Without thinking of countering, Jack was at least able to dodge without losing a limb. But he was completely on edge, adrenaline pumping in him faster than his body could follow. With every vertical swing he'd sidestep and just stop himself from trying to kick him, and with each horizontal he'd almost throw a punch before he realized what he was doing.

Jack was strong by human standards, but Grievous made him look like an infant in front of a storm. If he couldn't beat him by force, he'd have to use maneuverability. As the general was preparing a fight ending swing, Jack was suddenly flipping over Grievous, rolling away before landing on his feet and a single hand. The cyborg turned to glare intensely at Jack, noticing the jetpack that was still on his back. Unlike the clones, Jack kept his on, and it proved to be in his favor.

This however only acted as a means for Grievous to step up his game, as he pulled his second saber off of his waist and activated it, the emerald green contrasting the ultramarine blue. The general now started moving even faster still managing to keep up as Jack would use the jetpack to increase his evasion speed. Even when jack flew back across most of the hall, Grievous was able to lunge straight for him, closing the ten-meter gap in seconds.

Jack, seeing as he had little options, turned his back as Grievous sliced at him, his jetpack taking the brunt of the damage. Feeling it begin to overheat, he quickly disengaged it and spun, slamming it into Grievous' face and knocking him back. A second later the jetpack detonated, sending smoke everywhere as the detonation enveloped the cybernetic general. As Jack was about to run for Rex and the others, one of Grievous' clawed feet grabbed him by the chest.

"Why did I think that would work? Why?" Jack thought as the general showed full movement of his body and flipped backwards, slamming Jack to the ground. The impact alone knocked all the wind out of Jack, his back feeling that it was on the verge of breaking due to the power behind the cyborg. Grievous kept his foot down on Jack's chest, holding the boy down as his hands spun, the lightsabers turning into blurs from the pure speed.

"Any last words, boy?" Grievous asked, seeing Jack's face once his helmet was knocked off.

"Just a question." Jack said as he attempted to remove Grievous' talons off of him, expectantly getting no progress in response. When he knew it wouldn't work, he reached for his belt and pulled out a droid popper, holding it up to the cyborg as he armed it. "Explosions clearly don't work too well on you, but what about droid poppers?"

Truth be told, droid poppers did little more then stun the general's cybernetics, but in the heat of the moment the general flipped back once more and threw Jack back across the gap they covered, hitting him against the reactor room's door before he fell to the ground. The impact temporarily stunned Jack, his senses coming back just as Grievous stopped next to him.

He didn't even give Jack a word as he slashed down, attempting to cleave the boy in two with one swing. Before it landed, however, Ahsoka jumped forward and blocked the attack, stopping the saber mere inches from Jack's face. "Sorry to interrupt your playtime, Grumpy, but wouldn't you prefer a challenge?"

"That wouldn't be you." Grievous responded, the two now dueling with speed Jack could hardly follow. The only thing he could tell amongst the fight was that Ahsoka was completely being overwhelmed, forced back several steps upon each clash of blades.

As R3 rolled past them and beeped to Ahsoka, she would disengage from Grievous and run with the astromech into a droids storage unit. As Grievous watched them leave, he deactivated his lightsabers and began to walk towards the room, not even looking back to Jack and the remaining clones. They simply weren't worth Grievous' time, something Jack knew full well of.

Pushing himself up, Jack flinched and groaned as his chest had a sudden surge of pain filled his body. Lightly grabbing his side, he forced himself to stand up and stare at the room the general and Ahsoka ran in to. Jack normally isn't one to undermine people's powers when he's seen them, but he knows Ahsoka stands no chance in a straight up fight.

Looking to his cut staff, he saw that they were still active, the electricity sparking across the tips. "Oh, that should do something." He groaned as he walked and picked the two halves up, spinning them in his hands like batons. "Not my normal style, but better then a staff." Running off, Jack nearly stumbled when the pain spiked again. He had just noticed that two of Grievous' talons had pierced his armor, leaving small trails of blood to drip down his white armor. "Ah, that's just great."

Feeling the wounds out, he was certain the cyborg general didn't go deep to get anything important and continued to head for where Ahsoka and Grievous went, hiding behind cover when he heard the door open. Seeing R3 roll past seemingly without a scratch, Jack knew clearly that the astromech was working for Grievous. "That's why he set off the electricity, he was hoping he'd stop the signal without killing me outright. Huh, I almost feel proud for the piece of scrap."

He then clenched his fists as he turned back to the door, seeing it close and lock. "Don't worry Shorty." Jack said to himself as he put the two halves of the staff down and pulled the console's panel off, starting to hot-wire the controls. "I'm on my way."

* * *

As he was doing that, Ahsoka traversed the rows of shelves filled with droid parts, her lightsaber active as she prepared for a fight. She was completely on edge, having lost sight of Grievous after he ordered R3 to assure that the others didn't make it off. As she was about to step out of her cover, one of Grievous' hands had suddenly grabbed her by the throat, the other knocking her saber away and deactivating it.

Grievous had secured himself on the roof, somewhere the Padawan clearly hadn't expected. And it worked just as he had planned. Walking down the wall, he reached down and grabbed Ahsoka's lightsaber as he held Ahsoka off her feet effortlessly. Activating it, the emerald light brightened the area around them, revealing Grievous' golden eyes to the Padawan.

"Another lightsaber to add to my collection." Grievous gloated as he held it close to Ahsoka's face, the Togruta trying to break free with no success. "My spy droid, R3, has trapped your precious master. When I'm finished with you, he's next."

"You're wrong." Ahsoka responded, remaining defiant despite the situation. "He's gone by now, and he's going to blow up your precious spy station."

"Not this time." When Grievous spoke, there was a small tap on his shoulder, turning his attention away from Ahsoka and towards Jack, who's right arm was extended back, preparing to swing one of the two staff halves.

"Sup?" Swinging with all his strength, Jack's strike coupled with the cyborg's clearly caught off grunt and the added force of the electricity, he had managed to completely knock Grievous over. The attack was enough to release his grip on both Ahsoka and her saber, the Padawan recovering quickly as she was able to breath again.

Not finished, Jack impaled the right staff piece into Grievous' arm, pinning it to the ground and causing the electricity to flow through him. He then aimed the next piece to impale the general's chest, only for his arm to reach and grab Jack's, stopping him easily. Even with the added power, Grievous was able to move with enough focus to catch Jack and slowly crush the armor around his arm.

Before the damage could be harmful, Ahsoka activated her lightsaber and cut Grievous' hand off, allowing Jack to strike down and impale his other arm down. It wasn't the target, but it'd buy them some time. "What are you-?"

"Not now, that'll only keep him down for a few seconds!" Jack interrupted, pointing to Grievous using one of his feet to try and grab the staff halves in his arms.

Seeing this, Ahsoka nodded once and jumped for the nearby air vent, kicking it open and landing in it. As she turned to pull Jack up with the Force, he pulled out the droid popper he didn't use and primed it, throwing it down to the cyborg. Instead of saying anything, the two began to crawl through the vents by the time the popper went off.

"You all right?" Jack asked from behind, Ahsoka leading the way.

"Nothing then a potential bruise or two to worry about." Ahsoka responded. "And you?"

"Eh, he's pretty bad at acupuncture, so other than the clear back sized bruise I'll have and the two stab wounds? I'm good." Jack answered, getting a small laugh and headshake from the Togruta in front of him. "That was really risky, drawing Grievous off the others like that."

"And you're one to talk?" Ahsoka questioned back, causing Jack to thin his lip. He really didn't have any ground to stand on, other than trying to blame Ahsoka for the mess.

Before he could say anything, however, the whole station shook as the reactor blown up. Giving the signal that the mission was a success. "We'd better head for the hangar. Whether or not Anakin's still here, we need a ship."

"Right." Ahsoka responded, the two's crawling speeding up as they knew they only had so much time before the planet's gravity would start to crush the ship. Just after two minutes of said crawling, they arrived at a grate with space large enough for them to stand, the sounds of battle going off just on the other side. "How much you want to bet that's Master?"

"I don't make bets with obvious answers." Taking that answer, Ahsoka quickly cut a hole into the grate and kicked it away. Jumping, she landed on a vulture droid to make it a target for the other before jumping away. Cutting the second one's head off, she landed on the ground and quickly turned to use the Force to catch Jack, putting him on the ground.

Once he landed, Jack quickly bolted behind the cover with the clones, diving behind the crates as a shot barely missed him. "So good of you to join us, Jack." Rex said as he helped him up and handed him a 15S. "Missed you when we woke up."

"Eh, had problems to deal with." Jack responded, kneeling down and began firing at the super battle droids across the hangar. "What's the squad status?"

"Copper and Fritz are dead. Denal, Fives and I managed to plant the charges while the commander stalled Grievous." Rex explained, hitting two of the droids shortly after. The droids remained standing, until Denal's impossibly fast firing completely overwhelmed them and took them down. Something Jack forgot to take note of was how fast the clone could pull the trigger, firing with speeds equal to the Z-6 rotary cannon when he tries.

Firing, the squad was able to relieve some stress from the Jedi, who were busy protecting the shuttle as they waited for R2 to open the hangar. As Jack ducked under a shot, he turned and saw fuel cells behind them. "Anakin, there's a bunch of fuel cells over here."

"Get ready, Jack." Anakin responded, using the Force to throw one of the large cells towards the droid forces. Once it was close enough, jack focused solely on the flying cell before firing, hitting it dead on and causing a large explosion to go off. The rest of the droids were caught in the explosion, just in time for the hangar to start opening.

"Artoo did it."

"Of course he did."

"Let's move out." Rex ordered the troops, and everyone moved as quickly as they could to enter the Twilight. Jack instinctively went for the pilot seat, dropping his blaster as he sat down. Ahsoka took the copilot seat, and the rest of the men all situated themselves among the flight deck. Anakin, however, was in his starfighter as the Twilight took off, escaping the falling base.

"General; Skywalker's gotten into his starfighter, where's he going?" Rex asked, to which Ahsoka answered.

"He's going after Artoo."

"I'll be right back. Don't wait for me." Anakin ordered as the cargo bay doors opened, allowing him to fly out. Jack kept the ship hovering where it was, waiting patiently for the moment that Anakin would return. And after several minutes of painful silence, Anakin landed back in the freighter, Artoo aboard. "We're here, get us out of here."

"With pleasure." Jack responded, kicking the Twilight to its highest speed and leaving the planet's orbit. A minute later, the Knight and astromech entered the flight deck, and Jack smiled as the droid beeped happily at everyone. "Good to see you too little buddy."

"Oh, I missed you Artoo." Ahsoka said, getting out of the copilot seat and hugging the astromech.

"She was the one who replaced you the quickest." Jack quickly added as Anakin sat down. Jack's face them met the panel as Ahsoka used the Force to push his head down. "That's abuse of your power!" The action caused a spread laugh around the flight deck, and much to his amusement, Jack himself laughed as well. Possibly the adrenaline still in, but he was just glad they made it out as they did.

That changed after they had made their report to Obi-Wan, who as a hologram, looked very upset at Anakin. "So let me get this straight, Anakin. You risked the mission, all of your men, even your Padawan to save a droid."

"Artoo found the listening post, and he saved our lives." Anakin countered. "We couldn't just leave him there, Obi-Wan."

"Oh, Anakin." Obi-Wan sighed. "One day…" He then cut the communication, leaving the room silent.

Jack then rested his back on his chair, sighing in relief. "Oh man, I don't think I've ever been so stupid in a mission before."

"Maybe, but you did some good back there." Anakin said, prepping the hyperdrive. "You took Grievous' attention off the others and helped Ahsoka stall him so the mission could be completed."

"Correction: SAVED Ahsoka."

"And you have my thanks for that."

"Eh, no problem." Jack said back, keeping Ahsoka from speaking up. "She saved me from that crazy cyborg as well." He then looked over his shoulder to the Togruta, smiling slightly. "So we'll call it even for today. Sound good, Shorty?"

"Sure thing, Jacky boy."

"And you ruined the moment." Jack groaned, getting another round of laughs as the hyperdrive activated, their coarse set back for the Resolute.

_'Just another day in the Republic.'_


	13. New Experience

"I just realized, I have no where to go here." Jack spoke to himself, leaning against one of the massive buildings of Coruscant. After his last two injuries, Jack was given medical leave on Coruscant for the next two weeks for his ear to heal naturally. Normally, bacta was all that was needed for an injury, but since the injury is a burn going in bacta would risk him losing his hearing by forcing an important recovery.

As such, he was left with his recent injuries patched up with fresh bandages and to remain on Coruscant until the healing with small doses applied would fully recover it.

Only problem? He only stayed on the Resolute last time he was here and he doesn't have enough credits to afford an apartment, much less one to keep for the extension of the war. He'd have to use favors from the Hutts, but that's something he has to plan right. Jabba was so willing last time because of him helping in his son's rescue. Now he has no real leverage and is stuck on the streets of Coruscant.

"Oh well, guess I can just hobo it for the time being." Jack shrugged as he put his pack down as he put on his coat. He then sat down as he leaned against the building, closing his eyes in relaxation. "I've slept in worse places anyways, this is actually a step up from my last stay on a planet."

As Jack was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound of feet running, the sounds getting closer and closer until they were right next to him. His eyes snapped open in time to see someone grab his bag and run off. "Hey! Get back here!" Getting up, Jack was quick to pursue the thief, having to run as fast as he could to catch up. "Get back here you piece of rankweed!"

As Jack started to catch up, the thief took a sharp turn and ran into a crowd. This caused Jack to swear under his breath and follow the thief through the crowd, losing ground as he was careful not to shove people over, unlike the thief who just ran at as fast as he could.

Once they were out of the crowd, Jack picked it up a notch further, surprising the thief at the speeds he was able to reach. "What is this guy, a Jedi?" The thief muttered as he grabbed a trash container and threw it down, hoping to slow Jack down. This proved useless however as Jack quickly jumped onto the side of a nearby building and back down past the bin. "Shrak!"

"I… got… you…" Jack grunted as he was getting closer and closer, his eyes narrowed as he pushed his body past his limits. It however proved to be a mistake as a human woman walked in between the two, not noticing the thief and getting in the way of Jack. "Watch out!" Jack's words came too late as he crashed into the woman, the two shouting in surprise as they fell over, the boy rolling several feet before stopping.

"Blast…" He groaned as he saw the thief disappear from his sight. By the time he'd be able to get up, the thief would be long gone, making this whole chase pointless. "Well… there goes all my food and clothes. And the rest of my credits on hand too."

"Owwwww, my head."

"Oh crap! I hit someone!" Remembering what happened, Jack pulled himself up and looked to the woman he ran in to. "I am so, so sorry ma'am." Jack said as he held his hand out to the woman, who took it graciously. "I was running after this guy, you came out of nowhere and I am just completely reeling in what happened. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, it's okay." She responded, rubbing her head as Jack helped her up. "I should have been more aware, I was always told I let my mind wander at the worst times." Once she was to her feet, she dusted herself off, causing Jack to take in what she was wearing, which caused his jaw to drop. A set of brown robes, light brown boots and tan pants. The pants, nothing at all, but the robes were clearly tailored for Jedi Plus the two lightsabers on her belt was also a dead giveaway.

"My name is Shyira, Jedi Knight. Sorry if I stopped your chase." Shyira introduced, holding her hand out with a bright smile. She had short black hair which was neatly kept and purple eyes. She was also tall for a human woman, standing at the same height as Jack.

Snapping out of his initial shock, Jack shook the Jedi's hand. "Um… I'm Jack."

"Well hi Jack, it's a pleasure to meet you. Even if you ran into me and-wait a second." Shyira quickly, focused her gaze, leaning towards Jack. The boy leaned back in response, feeling as if she was now studying him like some sort of science project. "Jack? As in the boy that's been fighting in the 501st for the past couple of months?"

"Ummmm… yes?"

Shyira then gasped as stars formed in her eyes, confusing Jack beyond his limits. "I've heard so much about you! Both from the reports of the missions you've gone on, which aren't fully reliable since they didn't ever talk to you for them, and Hawke of how he found you and your mission to take out the Malevolence. How big was it? How many missiles did it take to destroy its weapon? What rank are you now?"

Jack's brain had to go through a quick restart after the barrage of questions. The main thoughts that came to mind was how this woman was a Jedi, a Knight at that, and yet so exuberant. Most aren't nearly this emotional, nor are they allowed to be. "Um… 4845 meters, about two missiles from each surviving bomber, and currently just promoted to corporal."

"Wow that's a big ship."

"It was a Subjugator-class cruiser."

"Still, to think a kid like you can keep up with the likes of Jedi. I can't believe how well you've done so far."

"I am not a kid!"

Shyira then flicked Jack's forehead, surprising him with the strength behind it. "When I was learning to swing a lightsaber before you were born, you're a kid. Trust me, I know how annoying it is to be called a kid, but you really are one."

"Meh." Jack responded, not being able to come up with a real comeback.

"So, what are you doing here on Coruscant, Jack?" The Jedi Knight asked, tilting her head. "I don't think the 501st are supposed to be back for another month."

"You'd be right." Jack responded, moving his jacket and shit aside to show the bandaging around his puncture wounds. "Along with my ear, I have two punctures that could reopen if too much stress is put up. And with my ear having a severe burn, I have to wait for it to heal with small implements of batch. As such, I was placed on medical leave and sent here to recover."

"But Coruscant doesn't have a barracks for troopers on medical leave. At least, not for the volunteer regiments."

"Yes. And I learned that, AFTER I got here."

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Shyira asked, recalling Hawke telling her what he spent all his money on last time on planet.

"Well I, you see I, it's sort of…" Jack then sighed in defeat, looking down as he let his arms hang. "That's exactly it."

"Chin up Jack." She said, patting Jack's shoulder. "You're new to planets within Republic space, and much less of Coruscant. It can be a little overwhelming at first. You just have to learn from it and grow."

"I… I guess."

"Well, considering you don't have anywhere to go, why not stay at my place?" The offer came to a shock to Jack, who took a step back. "Oh come on, it isn't that bad. I have an apartment that I share close to the Jedi Temple."

"But I mean, shouldn't I just stay on the streets?" Jack asked. "You did say to grow from the experience. And besides, sleeping around isn't too bad for me, I've been in a whole lot worse places than here."

"But were you injured?" Shyira asked, pointing to his ear. "And come on, it's not like you actually want to sleep out in the cold do you?" Getting no response, The Jedi smiled as she grabbed his hand, surprising him as she started to pull him with her. "Come on, I promise you'll leave with every part of your body intact."

Despite the clear signs of discomfort Jack had at the idea, he relented and sighed, following her. "Alright, alright. I'll come."

"There we go." Shyira smiled. "But before we head back, I need to go to the store again."

"Again?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, I was coming back with groceries when suddenly a young boy that almost looks a year older than he is came running right into me, causing everything to ruin."

Jack's head sunk slightly, his face tinted red in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's no trouble. You're just going to have to carry everything back."

* * *

"We're here!" Shyira cheered as she and Jack walked out of the elevator and into the apartment room. Well, room wasn't doing justice. The whole thing had a large living room, kitchen, and at least several rooms to sleep in. It wasn't anything flashy, nothing like the apartments a senator could get, but it was roomy. Had a great view over the city that went for miles too.

"It's a very nice place." Jack commented as he placed the two bags onto the kitchen counter, sighing as he cracked his shoulders. Although he kept it hidden, jack was astonished by the size of the apartment. The largest room he's ever stayed at for a single time was probably the size of one of the rooms. Having this much space was… different, to say the least.

"Yep, the best you can get on a general's budget." She responded, walking over to the window, basking in the view. "Helps when two people are paying too, we can get more comfort stuff that way."

"I can't deny that'd be helpful." Jack said as he stood in the living room, taking in the details around him. "I'm confused though, don't Jedi live in the temple?"

"Most do, some can live outside if they want to. Gives us a bit of freedom instead of spending all our free time in the temple." Shyira explained as she shrugged. She then blinked once, seeming to realize something. "Hey wait, where's-"

"Ah crap!" A familiar voice shouted, causing Jack to jump as he turned to it, seeing that it came from one of the rooms.

"Hawke, what are you doing?" Shyira questioned as she ran to the room, stunning Jack.

"Hawke?"

"Oh Shyira… you're home early." Hawke said, slightly nervous as he stood in his room, everything a complete mess.

"What happened here?" Jack asked, appearing behind Shyira as he looked at the totaled room. "It looks like a bomb went off."

"Oh, Jack, you're here too." Hawke said, nodding to the boy. "I guess that explains it. Shyira usually walks home after going out. She must have been in a hurry to bring you here."

"Why so casual?"

"Hawke, why'd you mess up your room?" Shyira asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, right." Hawke cringed. "Remember that special thing you told me to look after? To keep it in it's case and not lose it?"

"Yes?"

"I lost it."

"How did you lose it!?" Shyira shouted as she began to dig through the piles of clothes that were thrown around. "Where did it go!? You couldn't possibly of lost something that important unless you were trying to!"

"I know!" Hawke shouted back, both now moving comedically around the room as they searched for whatever they were looking for. "But I accidentally left it in one of my robes when you gave it to me and it fell somewhere! I've been looking for it the whole day."

As the two bickered and searched, Jack's attention was slowly drawn to a small hum. It wasn't anything loud, but it felt rather soothing to hear. What was weird for the boy was how clear it was, like his ear was healed and capable of picking it up even. Turning to the source, he saw a pile of clothes and started to look through it, interested in the sound.

After moving most of the pile away, Jack's attention remained on a single green crystal, the light coming off it illuminating his face. He then grabbed the crystal between his right finger and thumb, gazing at it as the light vanished. "Hey, is this it?"

The two Jedi instantly stopped in shock as they turned to see Jack stand up. "You… you found it?" Hawke asked, the only one of the two seeming to be able to speak. Shyira, on the other hand, seemed to be at a loss for words, staring at the boy

"Yeah, it was actually glowing before I grabbed it." Jack commented. "What's with this green crystal anyways?"

"It's… a memento." Shyira spoke up, slowly standing and walking to the boy. "I… found it on one of my missions a month after the Clone Wars started."

"Oh, well I'm glad I found it then." Jack said, turning it to his palm and holding it out to her.

Instead of taking it, however, Shyira gently closed his hand around it and cradled his hand. "Jack, I would like you to keep it."

"What?" Jack questioned. "No, Shyira I can't. You've already let me stay with you for my leave, I can't take something from you. Especially if this is a memento. I can't just-"

"Jack…" She whispered as she gripped his hand, smiling as she appeared to be holding her emotions back. "This memento was meant to be passed on. I was waiting to give it to someone who deserves it. I was just holding it on for that person."

"I'd just say yes Jack." Hawke said, walking up to the two. "Something that you should know about Shyira is that she won't give up until she has her way. Most women are like that honestly. Just take it, trust me when I say it will mean a lot to her."

Jack looked back and forth between the two, having trouble to think against them with their stares. Eventually, he relented and sighed. "Alright, I'll keep it. But only because I owe you both for allowing me to stay."

"Thank you Jack." Shyira smiled, taking her hands off his. Going a 180 from the tone, she suddenly brightened up and clapped her hands together. "Now then, why don't I get dinner started? I bet you haven't eaten anything all day."

"Uhh… what?" Jack questioned as the Knight walked past him, turning his gaze over to Hawke. "Does she usually do that?"

"All the time." Hawke chuckled. "Shyira isn't someone to remain anything other than happy for very long. She's a very positive person."

"This belonged to someone important to her, didn't it?" Jack asked, looking down to the crystal in his hand.

"Someone who was like a brother." Hawke responded, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder. "If she thinks that you really deserve it, then that means the Force is telling her that you should keep it."

Keeping his look at the crystal, jack's stare turned into one of understanding. "I'll be sure to keep it with me for as long as I live then. I promise I won't lose it."

"Thank you Jack." Hawke said, patting Jack's shoulder before walking away. "You don't know how much doing that will mean to her."

_'I do, actually.'_ Jack thought as he gripped the crystal.

* * *

Dinner then went by almost impossibly fast for the trio, having been talking the whole time. From Jack's first time tasting spiced steak, to the small talk that turned into lighthearted banter, to Jack's constant questions of the Jedi belief and system.

The conversation was beneficial for both groups. As Jack learned on how Jedi were chosen, trained and ranked, Hawke and Shyira picked up on the training and strict moral code that each soldier had to have. They also saw just how loyal Jack was to clones and his Jedi generals alike.

"So you saved both Ahsoka and Rex?" Hawke asked, picking a piece of steak and held it up. "From none other than the droid general Grievous?"

"I mean, saved is a little extreme." Jack responded, swallowing a piece of broccoli. "I mostly bought time at first so that Ahsoka could at least help me. That turned out rather poorly and left me with the wounds I have right now."

"But you managed to hold Grievous off regardless." Shyira countered, pointing her knife at him. "That's not something even Jedi can do easily. The fact you and Ahsoka lasted as long as you did shows how resourceful you can be."

"Oh yeah, because Ahsoka's been a total BLAST so far." Jack rolled his eyes, poking at the rest of his vegetables, having practically devoured the steak with hunger that surprised Hawke and even Shyira.

"Oh come on, there's no way she's been that bad." Hawke responded, chuckling at the boy slamming his head on the table.

"You have no idea how much of a pain she is." Jack said as he picked his head up, looking at the two Jedi Knights. "First off, on our very first mission she used me as bait, BAIT! I had a broken arm and was surrounded by three Magnaguards! Then there was how she and Anakin took my still unprepared ship, something you supported if I'd remind you." Jack added, pointing to Hawke, who looked away whistling.

"And she doesn't even know how to tell the difference between a Z4TF8C and a Z4TF8C-2! Anyone who's trained in at least a minor in ship maintenance should understand it." Jack then saw Shyira thin her lips and stare at him, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "You don't know, do you?"

"I don't work with ships."

"Or anything tech really." Hawke added, getting a glare from the woman. "She was only able to make her lightsabers after a whole week of trying it. She kept flipping the power converters during the production state."

"Says the guy who couldn't figure out what was the perfect grip to use."

"Okay, let's make it simple." Jack interrupted, not wanting to see what would happen if the two would start to fight. "A Z4TF8C is meant to be placed into a ship's cannon. It allows the weapons to go almost a month without calibration and avoid overheating when going over the average fire count. A Z4TF8C-2 is meant to be put into the ship's flight system. In fact without it, a ship won't even be able to fly."

"And when you mix those two up, you get nothing but a fireball that used to be your ship." Hawke finished, knowing what happens when the two components are mistaken for each other. "Although you can't fault her too much on mixing them up, the two pieces are practically identical. The Zera Tech Foundation often do that with their ship and weapon parts."

"While that is true, those pieces should be the main focus of learning." Jack countered. "Any other combo of pieces, and the ship just doesn't work. But if those two are put in the other's position, even if just during a test, you become space dust. It's why I never leave her alone in the hangar."

"So, you see her lack of knowledge in ship parts as a hindrance? And therefor an annoyance."

"Not just that, she can hardly follow any orders and is constantly over estimating herself. Grievous wouldn't have been as big of a problem if she didn't just run right at him. We had numbers and could've made him have to worry both close quarters and range. But nope, she had to be the hero and rush him, getting us nowhere and even losing two troops in just one move."

"I doubt it would've worked very well regardless." Hawke stated. "Grievous has killed dozens of Jedi, and even more clones have fallen to him. If anything, the poor coordination actually threw him off balance, making him predict situations he wouldn't normally think of."

"Well it certainly didn't do anything." Jack commented, leaning back against his chair. "We couldn't do anything against him other than just manage to survive. Hell, we only did survive because I hit him from behind. We were both completely powerless against him."

"But you did survive regardless." Shyira encouraged. "That's a lot more than most people can say when they fight him. Only a handful of Jedi that fought him have lived to tell about it, and most come back with a missing limb. You two did what even Jedi Knights rarely do."

"Even with broken teamwork nonetheless." Hawke added. "I think you two do a lot better together than you think. Sure, you fight different, but in the end you're styles in a way compliment each other. It isn't often a non-Jedi can manage to do that."

"Sure that's real neat and all, but our teamwork is poor. Broken doesn't cut it on the field. It doesn't that we can't stand being in the same room as each other." Jack would continue as he placed his fork down. "I mean seriously, how well do you expect people who are at each other's throats to work together?"

"Well, you're going to have to find a way." Hawke smirked. "As far as I can tell, you two are stuck with each other until this war's over. You'll have squads and platoons counting on you to lead them through battle. And you can't do that arguing all the time."

"Easier said then done." Jack grumbled, looking up to the ceiling. "We hate each other's guts so much she doesn't even need a reason to get mad at me. We just… don't click."

"You know, usually when a girl's angry at a boy they usually like them." Shyira responded, giving a sly smile as she did. "Especially at your two's age."

"This isn't some cheesy romance Shyira." Jack stated simply, surprising her with how easy he handled the teasing. "Romance doesn't work when the only time you can at least stand each other is in the middle of a fight. The moment we're not so much as moving to attack we'll argue." Jack then sighed as he looked back to them, placing his arm over the back of his chair. "And even then she's a Jedi and I'm a soldier. With her faith and my duty it wouldn't work even if we tried. I can't even stand the idea of being in a relationship."

"That's a very negative way to look at things." Hawke commented, staring with a hidden pity. "You don't even think of being with someone? You're not a Jedi, you don't have restrictions to stop you."

"Hawke, I'm either 15 or 16 and I've killed probably over 50 people." Jack said as he closed his eyes. "Not only that, I was practically bred to kill the moment I think I turned six." He then opened his eyes, looking down at the small scraps of his food. "There were so many other people that deserved to live more than I did. And some were killed directly by me. I don't deserve a happy life Hawke. That's why I'll always be fighting.

"You don't mean tha-"

"And how do you know?" Jack interrupted Shyira, looking at her with intent. "This isn't a perfect galaxy, nobody has the perfect life and everyone bites the dust in the end." He then looked down to his side, crossing his arms. "I guess I'm just waiting for my turn. I've certainly lived longer than I thought I would."

"That's enough Jack." Hawke spoke, concern evident in his voice. "What happened before you joined the Republic was beyond your control. You made the choice to join the army, you chose to fight for a higher purpose, YOU chose to put others' lives ahead of your own." He then sighed, looking to the table before continuing. "I don't condone what you said, this galaxy is terrible. But it's people like you, like us, that can make it better and bring balance. If anyone deserves at least some happiness it's you. You've made a sacrifice few would be willing to make and accepted it with open arms."

Jack didn't respond as he continued to look away, his hands tightening around with arms as he sat in silence. For the rest of the night in fact, he had only said thanks once for the dinner, now sleeping soundly on the couch.

As the moonlight illuminated the room, Hawke and Shyira were standing in the room, the former leaning next to the window as he looked at the boy. The two were in an unusual silence, both finding it difficult on what to say.

"He's wrong." Shyira eventually said, her eyes clearly sorrowful as she watched Jack sleep. "Everyone deserves a chance to be happy. It's those who don't take the chance that don't ever get it."

"He just needs time." Hawke responded, looking to his fellow Jedi Knight. "He's only been away from whatever he was put through before for only a few months. And most of that's been training or in combat. He hasn't had any time to relax and recover properly."

"Hawke, I know you saw what I saw." She said, looking to him with tears almost forming. "Jack, a child, has the eyes of someone who's given up on living. He's only fighting right now because he doesn't know what else to do. He isn't fighting for a real purpose, he's just filling in his weakness with a lie."

"…I know." Hawke eventually spoke, walking up to Shyira as he did. "Whatever happened to him broke him. He doesn't know what to do. And we can't change that." Once he was close enough, he pulled Shyira into a supportive hug. "I know why you're so worried about him. I made the connection about a week after I saw him."

"I just… I want to help him find a reason to live." She said softly, embracing the hug as she did. "Even Jedi, who have nothing but a broken code that takes away everything has a greater desire to live. He might as well be programmed."

"It's something we can't do anything about, unfortunately." Hawke whispered as he ran his hand through her hair. "The only one who can give him a reason to live is himself. All we can do know is hope he doesn't do anything stupid to get himself killed. And be there when he's unable to handle it himself."

"We won't always be there."

Sensing how conflicted she is on this, Hawke cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "Someone will be. He thinks he's alone right now, but he won't be. I've seen Ahsoka grow into the person she is now, I'm certain she'll be able to keep him going long enough to find a purpose. Someone like him needs an emotion driven friend by his side."

Shyira gave a humorless chuckle at that, taking Hawke's hands off her cheeks and holding them. "I wonder why you think that."

Hawke smiled a bit in response, at least seeing the tears disappear from her eyes. "Let's just say I have experience in this field."

"Of course you do." Shyira whispered before lightly pecking her lips on his cheek, separating from him shortly after. "Come on, it's getting late. We need our rest."

"Right." Hawke yawned. "We can try and get his mood better tomorrow. Right now, time for shut eye."

Unknown to the duo, Jack was secretly awake. However he was oblivious to their conversation, their words never making it to his ears. All that he could hear was his own thoughts, and could feel little more than the single tear that went down his cheek.

_'The steak was as good as you always thought Fal. I wish you could've tried it.'_ The single thought was all that ran through his conscious, and it would continue to throughout the night. He couldn't sleep even if he wanted to. Not when his past plagued him.


	14. Lab Experiment

After two weeks of recovery, Jack's injuries had fully healed. And while the drama of the first day with Hawke and Shyira was gone, it was clear to the two that his mind wasn't changed.

As the boy was armored and prepared to head back into the front lines, the two Jedi who watched offered him residence were seeing him off. "So, any idea where you'll be heading to next?" Hawke questioned.

"Not really." Jack answered. "I've been out of contact with the Resolute for the whole time I've been here. Haven't heard a word from them, they could be dead for all I know."

"Knowing Anakin, I doubt that." Shyira spoke, laughing a little at the idea.

"Then we clearly know two different Anakin's." Jack chuckled, pointing to her with his helmet in hand. Once they reached the military shipyard, Jack stopped and turned to the two, offering a smile as he spoke. "I can't thank you two enough for allowing me to stay with you."

"Think nothing of it." Hawke responded. "And just so you know, you're always welcomed back whenever you're on Coruscant. Just give us a call and we'll make the room to fit you in."

"You really don't have to. I should have enough credits to afford somewhere next time."

"We insist." Shyira spoke, stepping up as she did. "You'll be having a rough time as it is, you shouldn't have to worry about paying for some rundown apartment while you're off fighting a war."

"I'm not the only one fighting."

"But you're the only one that doesn't have a home to go to." The Jedi Knight then placed her hand on his shoulder, conveying her feelings through the action. "Jack, it's nice being able to talk to you. You're one of the few people that don't treat Jedi like generals or untouchable beings. You're a good kid with a bright future, even if you don't know it yet. Just… please let us do this for you."

"Ugh, you need to stop being sentimental like that." Jack sighed as he shook his head. "Fine, I'll come when I'm off duty. But I expect to at least have to do something to help around the place."

"I think grocery shopping and doing the dishes should be good enough of a start." Hawke smiled as he walked up to the two. He then saw as a Republic transport ship flew by, landing a few dozen meters away. "Well, we shouldn't keep you waiting for too long. Adventure awaits."

"I hear that." Jack said as he turned to walk away, being stopped as Shyira hugged him from behind.

"Please don't get yourself killed." She whispered, confusing Jack at the suddenness. "I get that there'll be a chance you die, we're fighting a war. But don't die recklessly by being the hero. Don't fight because you think you have to, fight because you have something to fight for."

"I'll… try." Jack responded back, lightly touching her hands before she released him. "I don't have anything worth fighting for right now, but I'll try and find something."

"That's all I ask." She smiled back, watching alongside Hawke as Jack headed for the transport, waving as he gave a two-finger salute to them.

"You know that was reckless, bringing up his reason for fighting." Hawke spoke up, looking to Shyira as she faintly smiled. "And you know that it won't likely change anything, there isn't much to think of protecting while in the middle of a fight."

"He'll find a reason." She responded. "I know he will. He just needs to remember the real reason he choses to fight. Not because he thinks he just has to, that he has nothing left. No one just fights because of that, not the way he does."

"I just hope he doesn't die trying to find it."

"So, feeling better from your stomach ache?" Ahsoka asked as Jack walked up the ship's ramp, rolling his eyes as a result.

"Of course you're the one they sent to pick me up." Jack then noticed a small tired look in Ahsoka's eyes, to which he pointed out. "You alright yourself? You look like you've gone a while without sleep."

"It's nothing." She responded, making it clear to Jack that there was clearly something.

But instead of trying to get anything, Jack just shrugged his shoulders. Honestly, he didn't really care about what bothered the togruta, just curious. But if she won't talk he wouldn't waste his energy on something like that. "So, any idea if we're going on another assignment?"

"Yeah, we're going to be on standby with Naboo being our next possible deployment."

"Naboo?" He questioned. "Last time I checked that was Republic space. Why would we be heading there for deployment?"

"Locals had recently taken out a patrol of droids." Ahsoka answered. "We don't know if there's more or if they were just a simple recon team. So we'll be on standby until Senator Amidala and Representative Binks investigate."

"Well, I guess this'll be a good warm up back into things." Jack commented, rolling his neck a bit to loosen up. "I haven't been able to do any real training since I got here. I'm itching to get back into the fight."

"Whatever you say Jacky boy."

"Shut it Shorty."

It was a long trip for everyone afterwards, even the clones had to suffer through the continued argue between the Padawan and corporal. Luckily however, Naboo wasn't too long of a trip, making it no more than a few hours to get there through Lightspeed.

* * *

Once they met up with the fleet, the pair along with Anakin and Obi-Wan traveled down to Theed. And once they touched down in one of the hangars, the Jedi stepped out as the Queen and Captain Typho greeted them. "General Kenobi, Skywalker, we're so glad to have you-"

"Where's Senator Amidala?" Anakin interrupted, noticing that the Senator was missing.

"She went to look for the lab." Typho answered.

"And you let her go?"

"Senator Padme can be very hard to stop once she has made up her mind." C-3PO spoke up, walking up to the Jedi Knight.

"Good point."

"This is Peppi Bow." Typho motioned to his left, bringing the female gungan to attention. "She was the last person to see them."

"If she can give me an idea on where to go, I can find them no problem." Jack said to the Jedi. "Assuming they're captured, it might be best if I go, they won't even know I'm there."

"Are you up for it?" Anakin asked, turning back to the soldier.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, one of the places Anakin recognizes as where he was cut open before. "My scars are acting up a bit, but that's something I can work around."

"They're acting up?"

"I get a little on edge when I head to a laboratory. You know, for reasons." The Jedi didn't push on after, just nodding to give him the all clear. Jack then walked up to Peppi. "So, you know where the Senator went?"

"Theysa looking for the sick-maker down in the swamp." Peppi answered, getting Jack to tilt his head.

"They? Sick-maker?"

"Representative Binks was with her." Typho explained.

"Then we don't have time to waste." Jack muttered to himself. "Can you show me where the swamp they were looking for is at?"

"Follow meesa." The gungan responded, nodding her head as she started to walk away.

"Wish me luck." Jack said to the Jedi as he put his helmet on and started to follow her. Just before they left, the three noticed him scratch the back of his head, where Anakin and Obi-Wan knew where the chip in his head was.

Once the two were out, they started to travel on top of one of Peppi's shaaks. Jack knew at then they were in for a long journey, but at the least it meant that he'd have time to think of a possible way to sneak in. Of course, he'd have to wait to get a geo-scan of the area to find the actual laboratory.

_'It's been a few months since the last time I…'_ Jack started to think, feeling his left arm spike in pain for a second. The mere thought of entering any kind of lab would set him on edge, Kamino was horrible when he had to get all the medical tests done. But something felt worse here, his scars were normally numb, not outright painful.

"Yousa Okeyda?" Peppi asked, looking back to Jack as he clenched his arm.

"I'm… fine." Jack grunted in response. As they moved on, Jack's eyes wandered to a nearby river, seeing several dead shaaks at the bank. "Hey, were any of those yours."

"Yesa. Theysa been killed by sick-maker." Peppi answered. "Hesa put bombad stuff in water, and Theysa die instantly."

"Instant death?" Jack echoed, looking closer to the dead shaaks. His eyes widened as he saw the dead cattle's' bodies a light shade of blue, their veins and arteries visible. _'It can't be…'_

* * *

_"Test subject Z3X died after testing after the virus was introduced into his system for ten minutes."_

_"Only ten? Hmmm… the virus seems to be incomplete. My research seems to be hitting a roadblock."_

_"Doctor, we didn't hire you or give you the resources to create your Blue Shadow Virus. You're suppose to make it that the subjects can survive the hundreds of diseases currently in the galaxy, not the ones that are long gone."_

_"Ahhhh, worry not sergeant. I've been testing your subjects very thoroughly, the last thirty, well twenty-nine now, have been doing impressively well in countering the diseases. J4K has shown to have the most impressive immune system after my serum was injected into him. I'm just… adding a few extra tests to it."_

_"J4K is the key subject in this whole project. Keep him out of this side project you've started. You have permission to use any of the other subjects as you wish, but if J4K dies you will be face the proper punishment."_

_"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes we're very clear. Now leave me alone to my research."_

_"Get me out of this!"_

_"Calm down J4K. It'll just be a tiny pinch, nothing too severe."_

_"You damn scientist! You've been injecting this damn serum into me for a month!"_

_"And yet you still live. Perhaps you'll make a great carrier when my research is complete."_

_"Let me out!"_

_"Of course, of course. Just after a quick opening to see how your organs have been working."_

* * *

"Gah!" Jack's chest spiked in immense pain, causing him to fall off the shaak.

"Oh no!" Peppi shouted, getting off the shaak and kneeling next to Jack, getting him onto his back. "Are Yousa hurt?"

"No… just had a flash." Jack said, forcing himself to sit up against the pain. Underneath his helmet he was sweating, the pain feel all the more present than before. With how bad the last flash was, he'd rather take Grievous' talons to his chest again than suffer another.

Jack would then pull his helmet off, making it easier to breath before noticing the ship to his right. "Wait… is that the Senator's ship?"

"Yesa, yousa were out for moi long time. Yousa wouldn't respond the whole trip."

"Sorry." Jack groaned as he stood back up, picking his helmet up with him as he stood. It didn't take long to find a set of tracks, to which he started to follow. "Huh, a pair of human and gungan prints. This must have been them. But it ends just a few meters away. Where could they have…" Jack began to trail off as he noticed the hollow feeling the ground had.

When he heard the quietest sound of machinery, he tackled Peppi behind a massive tree root, narrowly avoiding a security camera. Listening to the camera's movement, Jack made sure to hold Peppi's mouth closed, keeping her quiet and out of sight to avoid detection.

Once he heard the cameras go back into the ground he released Peppi, holding a finger to his lips to tell her to remain quiet. He then put his helmet back on and pulled out his holo comm, contacting Obi-Wan. "General, I'm certain that we found the lab. Security is placed around twenty or so meters up here, if my guess is correct anyways. No possible way in without detection."

"Good work corporal." Obi-Wan responded. "Now for getting in, I have a plan." A hologram of the whole base came to life, causing Jack's eyes to widen underneath his helmet.

_'That's… Faust architect.'_

"I need you to deploy a bunker bomb at the south end of the facility." When Obi-Wan pointed it out, the southern most part of the base glowed red. "It should cause a nice distraction and seal off the bomb area while we come in through the hatches."

"Bombs, sir?"

"We can confirm that they've been making a biological weapon. A gaseous virus meant to possibly wipe out entire star systems."

"Understood." Jack nodded, although his fingers subconsciously tightened on the holo comm. He had more than a few good ideas on what the bombs could have in them. It didn't add up, but it gave him a start.

"Ahsoka and Rex will be there to back you up once you start." Anakin spoke up, appearing on the comm.

"Copy, Jack out." The boy said as he cut the communication, putting the comm onto his belt.

With his mission now clear, Jack reached for the grenades on his belt, counting three thermal detonators on him. Grabbing one, he tossed it up a few times, getting the right balance set as he prepared himself. He then watched for the cameras, being sure to stay out of sight while monitoring them. When they went down, he started to count.

_'One. Two. Three. Four. Five.'_

At five seconds, the camera's popped back up, leading him to count again.

_'One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.'_

When the cameras went back down, Jack smirked. i'That's rather lazy security. Frequent, but not very through.'/i Once the cameras were back down again, Jack wasted no time and threw the grenade high into the air at an angle. The time to prepare himself almost made him get caught, but he was lucky as he completely dropped to the dirt.

"Peppi, cover you ears." Jack warned, seeing the Gungan do just that. He then held three fingers up, looking over to the cameras. "Three. Two. One." The moment the cameras went down, the grenade hit the middle and exploded, causing enough damage to completely punch a hole into the base.

Just after the explosion, two gunships flew over the two while a third now hovers over the recent hole, getting them both to stand up. "Meesa come too." Peppi said, getting Jack to place a hand on her shoulder.

"No, That is going to be a war zone in a second. You need to stay here and make sure nobody gets out of here." He ordered, turning and running towards the hole. As he reached it, a wire came down from gunship down to the base. He wasted no time as he grabbed the wire and repelled down swiftly. The moment he touched the ground he jumped to the right, getting behind cover as droids began to fire at him.

Once he started firing, Ahsoka jumped through the hole and landed next to him, igniting her lightsaber and attacking the droids. Jack would provide cover fire, the aid increasing as Rex and his troops all made their way down. Once the men were all down, they all followed Ahsoka as she cut through the droids, blasting whichever ones she managed to miss.

As they began to gain ground, the chances of advancing were lost as two destroyer droids rolled into the fray, activating their shields and firing at the squad immediately. "Fall back!" Ahsoka ordered, getting a retreat moving. As they moved back, a trooper was hit, leaving them a man down as they made their way back to a separate hall.

As the squad closed a blast door to catch their breath, Rex did a head count for the troops they had. "Commander, we lost two of our men."

"Two? Which ones?" Ahsoka asked, deactivating her lightsaber and turning to the commander.

"Guts was killed during the fall back. And Jack's missing."

"Missing?" Ahsoka groaned. She then tapped her communicator, linking to Jack. "Jack, where are you? You were supposed to fall back."

"I um… took a wrong turn." Jack whispered, moving through an air duct. "Heat of the moment kicked in for me and I went into the ducts. I'm moving towards the main lab."

"Jack, you need to form back up with us." Rex responded, patching into the comms. "We're cornered and down a man."

"Don't worry." Jack chimed, hitting his wrist comm against the side of the duct. "I left something to even the field for you guys."

"What did you-" Before Rex could finish, the ground shook as an explosion went off. "-do?"

"That was my second grenade. The destroyers should be dealt with." Once Jack found an opening, he kicked the panel out and climbed out of the duct. "I'll stay in touch, but I need to keep moving if we're going to catch he scientist."

"Jack, what are you-" The boy then cut his link with the two, stopping Ahsoka from continuing.

_'I know it's you!'_ Jack thought with a glare as he started to run down the corridors. _'And I won't let you get away this time!'_

His eyes turned murderous as he turned a corner and saw a group of droids. At the center, however, was Doctor Nuvo Vindi. The head scientist of the laboratory and an expert in all of the galaxies viruses.

Jack didn't even hesitate as he shot at the doctor, missing and hitting one of the battle droids beside him. "Vindi!" He shouted as the droids and doctor turned to him, the latter with a HAZMAT suit.

"Ah, J4K, you're alive and well I see!" The doctor grinned. "Tell me, how had the experimentation gone for you?"

"Why don't you stay and find out!" Jack glared, firing two more shots at him. The doctor, however, pushed one of the B1 droids in front of him to take the blasts.

"Take him down, but don't damage the body too much." Vindi ordered, turning away and starting to run to the hangar. The remaining B1 and B2s aimed and fired at the boy.

"You won't be able to run away again!" Jack shouted as he got behind cover. He knew he'd have little time, and worked on the adrenaline to aid his reaction timing. Taking his last grenade, he split it in half and moved back into the fray, throwing one of the halves onto one of the B2s. As he pressed the trigger on his left arm, Jack took a grazing shot to his shoulder, getting a wince from him as it detonated.

Rolling his shoulder, his nervous system seemed to numb the pain to allow him to move it. With a quick test of moving his fingers, elbow and shoulder, his glare returned and he ran after Vindi. His speed was greater than when he was after Slick, his body pushing itself to the limit as he chased after the crazy Faust doctor.

Once he reached the hangar, he saw Vindi standing in front of a Separatist ship, his hands folded together. To the left of his feet was a triangular container, and with a single glance Jack could tell what it was. The room was dark, but for both it was hardly impairing their vision. "So you did it, you crazy damn Faust."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Vindi laughed, holding his left hand out to show a small vial of a blue gas. "I've been very busy since the last time I saw you J4K! Not only did I synthesize the Blue Shadow Virus into mass, I finally unlocked it's full potential! The gaseous form it was always meant to be!"

"So that's it? The damn thing that you spent a year injecting into me and the others for?" Jack questioned, throwing his blaster to the side as he started to walk towards Vindi. His anger was building, and he wouldn't be satisfied with something as quick as a shot to the head. "Countless injections with chemicals and biological components that was killing us; and you did it all to recreate a damn virus."

"Yes, it is beautiful, isn't it?" Vindi responded, acting as if the approaching soldier wasn't even a threat. "And most of the research is thanks to you and your compatriots. You all provided such good data thanks to how well you reacted to it. But none were quite like you, J4K."

"Don't call me that!" Jack shouted at he lunged at the doctor, tightening his hand into a fist.

As Jack was about to reach him, Vindi revealed a small remote from his right sleeve. Pressing one of the buttons, Jack's head was suddenly filled with pain, causing him to trip and roll past Vindi. "Confused J4K? Not that I blame you, this was a parting gift my benefactors gave me after I left your little project. One of the control switches to your chip."

As Vindi stared down at the downed boy, Jack desperately pulled his helmet off and clutched onto his head, feeling like his brain was being boiled to a crisp. "You were always the most resilient of your batch J4K. I knew it would've only been a matter of time before you broke free. So, I made a choice to get paid not with credits, but with a means to stop you."

"Stop it! Stop it! Make it stop!" Jack shouted, clawing at the back of his head where the chip is implanted. He wasn't digging through his skin, but with the desperation he felt he wouldn't be able to stop himself for much longer.

"Don't worry child." Vindi responded, putting the vial of the Blue Shadow Virus back into the container. "I don't plan on killing you. I just need you unconscious and workable before we leave this planet. I need you to improve the Blue Shadow Virus even further."

"Not on your-AHHH! Make it stop!" Jack tried to fight the pain, but there was no way to even get it out. At the rate the pain was increasing, he would black out in a minute.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Just imagine how much further it could evolve with your DNA." Vindi continued on as he walked up to Jack. "I'll be able to adjust it even more, just think about it! It could kill all plant life, burn up a starship's hull, or even corrode the entirety of a planet! Soon nothing but the virus will remain in the entire galaxy!"

"Back up slimo." At the sound of a lightsaber igniting, Vindi turned to see Ahsoka at the entrance, her green blade illuminating the room around her.

"Ah, so one of you managed to catch up to me, Jedi."

"Ahsoka!" Jack shouted, the pain in his voice impossible to miss. "The container! The rest of the virus is in the container!"

"Jack! What's wrong with-"

"JUST GET THE STUPID CONTAINER!"

The outburst surprised Ahsoka, but it shook her into focus. Before Vindi could even turn to run for the container, Ahsoka was already there, holding it while facing her blade to the Faust. "You're finished."

"Now, now young one." Vindi responded, pulling Jack's inhibitor remote back out. "You don't want to do anything you'll regret now, do you?"

"What is that?" Ahsoka questioned, her eyes looking to Jack for a second to see if his condition was changing.

"A failsafe meant to keep J4K in check." Vindi answered, setting the chip's intensity down and relieving some of Jack's pain. "It can be used to fix his current dilemma with a mere switch." He then set the setting back up, getting the boy to scream in agony once more. "Or make things worse."

"You'll turn that off right now." Ahsoka glared, taking a step forward as the hangar platform started to move up.

"If you take one more step, I'll set the chip's intensity to its max. His brain will be nothing more than a hot slush in less than a minute." Vindi warned, getting the Togruta to stop. "There, see? We can reason, yes?"

"What do you want?" Ahsoka asked, turning off her lightsaber and connecting the hilt to her belt.

"The Blue Shadow Virus, hand over my remaining samples and step away from my ship."

"That's not happening."

"It's either that, or J4K becomes another victim of a lobotomy." Vindi countered, smirking as he set Jack's chip up higher. "And in this way, it's excruciatingly painful."

Now facing the dilemma Ahsoka was looking between Jack and the container. Choosing between a living being and the mission, a choice few should have to make. It would've been hard enough to choose on its own, but the screams of pain coming from Jack made it even harder to stay where she was.

"You have ten seconds!" Vindi stated, hovering his hand over the remote's switch. "It's him or the Virus. Tell me, what is more valued? A lab experiment, or life?"

"Wait!" And as Vindi was about to switch to Jack's final setting, Ahsoka held her hand out. "Fine, take your virus. Just stop the chip."

"Hand them over first, then J4K is free to go." Vindi demanded, holding his free hand out to her.

"Ahsoka! Don't!" Jack screamed between his teeth, trying to stop the Togruta as she walked towards him. As she handed him the container begrudgingly, Jack's whole body felt like it was about to shut down. His head was in splitting pain, but his body had begun to start moving on its own.

_'I won't let you get away after what you did to them!'_

Before Ahsoka or Vindi could react, Jack's hand flicked down to his leg, grabbing ahold of his knife before stabbing it into Vindi's leg. The pain from the injury caused the doctor to drop the container and remote, to which Ahsoka snapped into action and catch the container before reaching out and pulling Jack's chip remote to her. When she flipped the switch back to zero, Jack could almost feel himself start to think clearly again, the pain leaving slower than it came.

And once his head was clear enough to properly move, Jack didn't even hesitate and tackled Vindi. A feral rage then overcame Jack as he wildly punched at Vindi's helmet, creating a small scratch on the hardened glass. With each punch, the crack would grow wider and wider, and both Vindi and Ahsoka were staring in horror at Jack's enraged glare.

"Month after month of torture!" Jack shouted as he continued his punching, not even pausing as a chip of glass pierced into his hand. "We suffered for ten years, but the pain you put us through was worse than anything we ever experienced! You killed a dozen of us! Do you even remember them!? How they begged you to stop!?"

With one last punch, Jack punched the glass into pieces, exposing Vindi to Jack's wrath. With the defense gone, Jack reached down to Vindi's leg and tore the knife out, the grey blood staining the blade as he held it over his head. "You took away everything worth living for away from me! And then ran away like nothing happened! You deserve death after all of this!"

"You won't do it, J4K." Vindi smiled, suddenly no longer afraid of the boy. "After all, Z0A would certainly frown upon a vile killer as yourself."

"She will if that means that the damn Virus dies with you!" Jack shouted, aiming to stab the Faust between the eyes.

"It will still live in you!" The quick response caused Jack to falter, jabbing his knife into the ground just beside his head.

Not missing a beat, Jack ripped the remains of Vindi's HAZMAT helmet before grabbing his suit's collar. "What the hell do you mean it'll still live in me?"

"Foolish boy, did you think I focused on you more because you had better survival chances?" Vindi asked rhetorically. "You survived every test, yes, but your adaptive nature made for something more useful. Thousands of gene pools go through the Blue Shadow Virus, and yours was the key. Any type of DNA could be added into it, but yours was key. The Virus couldn't get past yours, because you have the rare requirement. Something in you in such quantity that it couldn't overtake it. Don't you see, your DNA made the Virus! Whatever is within you predates the Virus itself, and transformed into a carrier!"

Jack's eyes were wide in shock at hearing the news, his hands shaking as the mad doctor continued to laugh in his face."Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! You get it don't you J4K! Without you, the Virus might not even of returned. You are the host, the necessity to make it!"

Jack's eyes then narrowed, determination burning in his eyes as he grabbed the last grenade half from his belt. "Then let's take the virus out together, shall we?" Before he could activate it however, the grenade flew right out of his hand into Ahsoka's, the Padawan using the Force to pull it from him. "Ahsoka!"

"Do you always have to go head first for everything!" The Togruta shouted back. "What does blowing yourself up solve?"

"It gets rid of this virus for good! What more could be needed!?"

"We don't have every thing yet. There's one last bomb, not to mention the dozens of vials of the virus left over." Ahsoka brought up, slowly walking towards the two. "So save the fiery sendoff for another day, okay?"

"But it's too late!" Vindi laughed, getting both Ahsoka and Jack's attention. "The bombs will go off and we're all going to die in the rebirth of the Blue Shadow Virus!"

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.

"W-where is the explosion?" Vindi questioned, looking around in confusion after the timer went off. "What happened to my Blue Shadow Vi-" Jack then swiftly punched Vindi straight in the face, knocking him out with a single punch.

"Jack!"

"What?" The boy questioned back, grabbing his knife and standing up. "I didn't kill him. Besides, I needed something after all the shrak he put me through." Once he sheathed his knife, he started to rub his bloody knuckles, feeling where the shards of glass are.

"Ahsoka, the last of the bombs have been disabled." Anakin spoke up through Ahsoka's communicator, getting the Padawan's attention. "Did you find Vindi?"

"He certainly won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Ahsoka responded offhandedly, looking over to the unconscious doctor. "I also found Jack, saved his butt like usual."

"Good work Snips. We'll be up with a squad in a minute." Anakin said, their communication cutting off after.

"You forgot to mention you almost handed him the virus and let him get away."

"I saved your life!"

"Details." Jack rolled his eyes, making sure to keep his attention off of Vindi. He knows that the moment he'd look at the mad doctor, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him. And he'd rather not deal with a court-martialing. Although it'd be more than worth it.

_'It isn't what I wanted, but I'm getting close Zoa.'_ Jack thought, looking at his bloodied hand with a distant look. _'Now I have to find the ones who started this.'_

* * *

**(A/N): Well, this is the last chapter I had written before going on a hiatus, so the posting of this story will slow down as I start to write the newer chapters. And with that, I'm certain the quality of each one should go up as well compared to the ones posted.**


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